Breaking The Barrier
by Silver Rune
Summary: AU Kaoru had just transferred to a new school. There, she met the cold Kenshin who was known as the lone wolf in the school. But could she break the barrier he had placed around him? K
1. Meeting Kenshin

Hi!!! This is my first fanfic, so don't blame me if it's bad.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.  
  
Chapter 1- Meeting Kenshin  
  
*Kaoru's house*  
  
"Rrrrringggggg! RRRiiingggg!" Kaoru slammed the alarm clock open and get up quickly. Normally she would toss and sleep again for a while, but today was different. This would be her first day of transferring to her new high school in Tokyo. She had just moved from Kyoto and was staying together with her uncle, Dr Genzi. He was a very kind and caring person and Kaoru loved him dearly. She changed quickly and grabbed her books and went down the stairs.  
  
Dr Genzi saw her running down the steps. "Excited about your new school?"  
  
"Yeah! Can't wait!" Kaoru tossed the last piece of her bread into her mouth and dashed out of the house, saying good-bye to her uncle.  
  
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*School*  
  
"I'm Kaoru. Kamiya Kaoru. Please to meet all of you." There were murmurs from some boys in the class and some jealous glares from the girls. No doubt Kaoru was beautiful. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail and she had the prettiest pair of sapphire eyes. She eyed the class, searching for an empty seat for her. She noticed that there was just one empty seat at the right corner. The next moment she saw a fiery red-haired man sitting just behind the empty seat. He was looking down and seemed deep in thought. Without a second thought, she moved to the empty seat and sat down in front of the stranger. She heard murmurs and whispers from the class.  
  
"Hi, I'm Kamiya Kaoru. May I know your name?"  
  
The stranger kept silent. Kaoru heard more murmurs from the class.  
  
"I can't believe she sat down in front of Himura. She even TALK to him!" a girl whispered to her classmate which happened to be loud enough for Kaoru to catch. Himura, huh? What's wrong with him? Why he kept silent all the time? And what was so surprising about her talking to him?  
  
The stranger lifted his face and Kaoru as shocked to see a pair of amber eyes glaring at her. He had a long fiery red hair tied up in a high ponytail. But what surprised her were not his red hair but rather his eyes and the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. His eyes were amber in color and she had never seen such an eye before. They were cold, emotionless and the stare of those eyes made her shudder. She quickly turned back and began to concentrate in class.  
  
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*Kaoru's Locker*  
  
Kaoru was busy placing her books from the locker. Right now was lunch time. She had not made any friend yet. It seems that incident of trying to talk to that Himura guy was a mistake. Now many people were avoiding her, as if she was a disease or something. 'Great, first day in school and everyone was already treating me like a freak', Kaoru mused. 'It was entirely his fault. That damn Himura guy.'  
  
"Hi! Are you the new student?" A cheery voice greeted her.  
  
Kaoru glanced to her right and saw a young girl who was a bit shorter than her. She had twinkling blue eyes and her long hair was plaited into a single ponytail. She looked like a 13-year-old rather than a high school student.  
  
"Yes, I am. And you would be?" Kaoru asked politely.  
  
"Makimachi Misao. Nice to meet you."  
  
"Kamiya Kaoru. Nice to meet you, Makimachi-san"  
  
"Just call me Misao, Kamiya-san."  
  
"All right Misao. And you can call me Kaoru."  
  
"Are you waiting for someone?"  
  
"Nope, I'm still new here."  
  
"Then come with me to the cafeteria. I will introduce you to my friends!" Misao said cheerily and dragged Kaoru to the cafeteria.  
  
'Finally, I made a new friend,' Kaoru thought happily.  
  
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*Cafeteria*  
  
At the cafeteria, Kaoru was dragged to a table with three women seated around it. They sat together and Kaoru began studying the three new faces.  
  
"Kaoru, this is Yumi, Tae and Megumi," Misao introducing Kaoru to three new friends. "Guys, this is Kamiya Kaoru, the new student in our school."  
  
"Kamiya, the one who dared to sit in front of Ken-san and talk to him?" Megumi asked, eyeing Kaoru. "What's wrong with that?" Kaoru asked curiously.  
  
"Of course it's something wrong tanuki. Ken-san doesn't like to be bothered by a tanuki girl like you, Ohhhohohoohhoho!" laughed Megumi, which sounded annoying to Kaoru.  
  
"How dare you call me tanuki! You better watch yourself, kitsune." "How dare you! You better not talk to me like that!"  
  
"Oh yeah, then better shut your foul mouth, kitsune." Kaoru smirked.  
  
"Grrrrrr..." Megumi was about to retort when suddenly Misao burst.  
  
"Aoshi-sama!" cried Misao, her cheeks bushing.  
  
Kaoru glanced and saw a dark-haired man strolling with a group of friends. 'He's handsome' Kaoru thought. 'But his eyes... they seemed cold and emotionless' Kaoru watched at Aoshi who seemed to have no other expression on his face. She began looking at his friends and noticed that Himura guy with Aoshi. She heard whispers and giggles across the cafeteria. No doubt that the gang consist of gorgeous guys Kaoru had to admit. However, her attention focused on the red-haired youth. He intrigued her. She had never been ignored before. Worse, he had stared at her with those scary amber eyes of his. She was determined to get a pay back at him.  
  
"Misao-chan, do you know Himura?" asked Kaoru, noticing her eyes turning puppy-like. 'Oh, Misao absolutely adored that Aoshi,' Kaoru thought.  
  
"Hmmm?" Misao did not seem to be paying attention to Kaoru's question and was lost in thought staring at her Aoshi.  
  
"You mean that Himura?" Yumi probed in, pointing at the red-haired guy.  
  
"Yup, he ignored my question and he was so cold to me this morning. What's wrong with him?"  
  
"Stay away from him, Kaoru."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just stay away from him. He's known as the lone wolf in this school."  
  
Suddenly the bell rang. "Oh shit! Classes are starting, hurry!" said Misao dashing to her lockers followed by Kaoru and the rest. Kaoru grabbed her textbooks and went to her next class, which happened to be her hated subject, history. She hated history because it always talks about wars and she despise wars. She pondered on what Yumi told her about Himura just now. She seemed serious on what she's telling Kaoru but Kaoru wondered how such a cute guy could actually be such a cold loner. She would have to find out about it sooner or later.  
  
To be continued...  
  
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Well, hoped you guys like it. Please review!! Constructive criticisms are welcomed but NO FLAMES PLEASE! 


	2. Bakadeshi and Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu

Hi again for those who have read and reviewed my fic. Big thnx for all reviewers, you all have encouraged me through my first fanfic. I would like to express a really big thnx to these people:  
  
Kleptomainac  
  
beriath  
  
Chiruken  
  
Ocean Fish  
  
Sora Himura  
  
Sylver*star  
  
Reviewer  
  
Cleopatra  
  
LittoGrrlStephie  
  
I never expect to have so many reviews for the first chapter. By the way, I'm quite confused for Megumi's nickname. 2 people told me it's kitsune but one told me it's megitsune, so which one is it? Well, for the moment I'm using kitsune though. Also thanks again for correcting my grammar and spelling error. I would try my best to improve them.  
  
Anyway on with the story!  
  
Chapter 2- Baka-deshi and Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu  
  
*Kaoru's history class*  
  
Kaoru walked into the classroom and seated herself at the corner. She glanced and noticed Himura seating beside her. He was as usual, head down in silence. Just then, the teacher walked in. Kaoru was surprised to find that he was very muscular and he had long raven hair that was let loose on his shoulder. 'Funny, he could be a gym instructor with his well-built body,' Kaoru wondered. The teacher scanned around the class and smirked when he noticed Himura.  
  
"Well, if it isn't my baka-deshi."  
  
Kenshin raised his head and glared at him, but kept silence.  
  
'Baka-deshi? This teacher sure has guts. I've seen many other teachers ignoring him even though they keep praising him for his achievement. They seemed intimidated by him,' Kaoru thought.  
  
"Say a word baka-deshi. It isn't polite to ignore your teacher. But of course, for being such a big baka you probably don't know about it." 'Wow,' Kaoru mused. 'He sure does have a LOT of guts. Himura could be strangling him any moment.'  
  
"Shishou, I would be glad if you stop that. You know I hate it whenever you call me that," Kenshin replied quietly.  
  
Kaoru was surprised. It was the first time she had heard him speak. 'It was his first statement of the day.' He wondered who this teacher was.  
  
"Ah, the new student." Kaoru almost jumped from her seat. "My name is Hiko Seijuro, Introduce yourself to the class."  
  
Kaoru rose up. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru. Please to meet you all."  
  
"All right, sit down Kaoru. Now on with the class."  
  
Hiko began explaining about the World War II and Kaoru groaned inwardly. 'Great, war again. I hate this.' She noticed Himura was silently paying full attention to the class, copying some notes on his book. 'Now I know how he got those praise from his teachers.' However, she was really curious about him, especially about his reputation his school.  
  
"Hey, why did you ignore me this morning?" 'Way to go, Kaoru, Kaoru mentally slapped herself. He would be totally pissed off with me.'  
  
Kenshin ignored her. Kaoru was seething. She was really frustrated with his attitude.  
  
"Are you mute? Could you at least talk to me?"  
  
"Could you stop bugging me?" Kenshin shot her an icy glare.  
  
"Not a chance. I want to fix that attitude of yours, mister."  
  
"Try it if you can. Now stop nagging at me."  
  
"Not if I can help it. At least tell me your name."  
  
"Fine, Kenshin Himura"  
  
'Kenshin, what a unique name.' "I'm Kamiya Kaoru."  
  
Kenshin shrugged her off and continued copying down the notes on his book. Hiko noticed the conversation between them. 'Interesting, I have never seen that for a long time. That Kamiya girl is something.'  
  
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Kaoru finally finished her school day and began strolling to her kendo class. After that history lesson she had earned quite a name for herself. There were always whispers and murmurs in her class that annoyed her. She really could not understand what was wrong with talking to Kenshin. 'Sure, he's cold and rather scary but nothing wrong with that.'  
  
"Kaoru-chan!" Her thought was interrupted when she saw Misao running to her with the same gi and hakama she was wearing.  
  
"Misao-chan! You're in kendo class too?"  
  
"Yes, of course! I like kendo too you know. Besides, Aoshi-sama is also there!"  
  
"So, is it your interest in kendo or looking at Aoshi's sweaty body that makes you enter this kendo class?" Kaoru eyed her slyly.  
  
"Kaoru-chan!" Misao yelled at her while chasing her. Kaoru laughed and both of them entered the gym.  
  
Kaoru was surprised to find that both of them are the only girls in the gym. She began to feel uneasy. Kaoru was again surprised to see that Kenshin was in the gym. 'Oh no...Not again.'  
  
"Excuse me miss. I presume you're new here?"  
  
Kaoru turned around. "Uhmmm....yes. I'm Kamiya Kaoru."  
  
"I'm Saitoh Hajime, your kendo instructor. Himura! Come here! Let's see how good you are in kendo."  
  
'Uh oh, big trouble.' "Wait, sensei, how come I have to go against Himura?"  
  
"He's the captain. New members always get tested by the captain."  
  
Kaoru walked to the center of the gym. She picked up her shinai and readied herself. Several murmurs were heard in the gym. 'Not again. These murmuring are really getting on my nerves.' To Kaoru's surprise Kenshin picked up a sword and began his stance. 'A sword against a shinai?'  
  
Kenshin began to unsheathe it and noticed that it was a sakabatou. 'Phew,' Kaoru let out a sigh of relief. 'He must be really good to use that instead of a shinai.' Nevertheless, she readied herself and began her stance. She would not lose. She would prove that girls are not inferior to boys.  
  
Kenshin sped towards Kaoru with such a speed that it caught her almost off- guard. She blocked his attack and swung it to his abdomen. Kenshin swiftly blocked it and spun so fast that he was now behind Kaoru. Kaoru turned around quickly and ducked just as Kenshin swung his sword to hit her neck. She aimed for his leg. Kenshin jumped and avoided the blow. He attempted to strike from mid-air.  
  
'Now's the chance!' Kaoru caught the blade with both the back of her hand. Kenshin's eyes widened in shock. Kaoru seized the chance and began sliding her hand along the sword attempting to strike. To her surprise, Kenshin spun in mid- air and before she knew it, his sword was at her throat.  
  
The audience was stunned. After a few moments, they began to clap. Kaoru heard Misao shouting "Way to go, Kaoru!" She had lost but she was shocked to see the reaction. To her surprise, she heard Kenshin speaking to her.  
  
"A good fight. Have you learnt kendo before?"  
  
"Yes, my father taught me. It's called the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu."  
  
"I see."  
  
"What's yours? I have never seen such a fast technique before and you use a sakabatou."  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. My shishou taught me and he said it was inappropriate to be used with a shinai. You have earned my respect, Kamiya-san."  
  
"Just call me Kaoru, Himura-san."  
  
"Just call me Kenshin, Kaoru."  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened when Kenshin extended his hand. She extended hers as well and they shook hand. For the moment she seemed to see a shade of violet in his amber eyes.  
  
To be continued ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Well, that's the second chapter. Gomenasai everyone if the fighting sucks. I'm a poor writer when it comes to describe a fighting scene. Please continue to R&R. Oh, by the way, how to type in italics? Could somebody please tell me? I would appreciate that a lot! 


	3. First Day Is Through

Yaiii!!! 20 reviews! Never expect to have so many for my first fic, thank you again to these people:  
  
Jen  
  
Reviewer  
  
L. Sith  
  
Chiruken  
  
mexican princess  
  
Sessha  
  
princezz kaoru  
  
cleoclaudia  
  
Saeka  
  
Kiyoshi-chan  
  
LittoGrrlStephie  
  
Well, if anybody knows how to type in italics please tell me. Right now I'm using this sign '.......' to denote thoughts so as to avoid confusion. By the way Chiruken, I'm trying my best to lengthen the story but I'm not a really good writer and there are parts in the story that I find it appropriate to stop there. If I continue I would be rambling all the way and the chapter will end weird. Now, on with the story!  
  
Chapter 3 – First Day Is Through  
  
Kaoru began changing her training outfit back to her school uniform. After that duel with Kenshin, she had gained even more popularity in the school. 'I wish people will stop treating me like this. Worse of all, they always refer me to Kenshin!'  
  
"Himura shook her hands!"  
  
"She's really good man! She already earned Himura respect!"  
  
"I heard she even talked to him during class!"  
  
'I have heard enough. They really annoyed me now' Kaoru snapped at her thought. She wished people will stop referring her to Kenshin. 'It's not so bad though. At least they accept me and I have earned their respect. At least I didn't get bullied,' Kaoru thought. She walked out of the changing room while still deep in thoughts.  
  
"Yo! Jou-chan, you're really good to have earned Kenshin's respect you know," a male voice interrupted my thought. I turned around and saw a really tall guy towering beside me. I was only about his shoulder length. He had black spiky hair and wore a red bandana on his head. "Who are you?"  
  
"Sagara Sanosuke."  
  
"What's so significant about that handshake anyway?" Kaoru asked curiously.  
  
"Well he's the kendo captain and that handshake means that you earn his respect as a warrior. Wrong word perhaps, considering you're a girl."  
  
"Has anybody else earned his handshake?"  
  
"Well, Makoto Shishio, Seta Soujiro, Aoshi Shinomori and myself."  
  
"That's all?"  
  
"Well, yeah. You should be rather proud you know. Those who earned his respect are the only ones who can spar with him during kendo practice."  
  
"Really? Thank you for your information. By the way, call me Kaoru, I've got a name you know. I'm not Jou-chan."  
  
"Well, I gotta go now. It looks like your friend has been looking for you." With that, he sauntered off. Kaoru saw Misao running towards her and she was happy to see her friend again.  
  
"Misao-chan! It's nice to see you again!"  
  
"Kaoru-chan! You're really awesome just now! I can't believe you have earned Himura's handshake!"  
  
"Well, I'm lucky enough."  
  
"No, you are really fantastic. I got beaten by him just by exchanging two blows with him. You're really something! Are you an expert or something?"  
  
"Well, not really. I just learned kendo from my father. It was called the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu."  
  
"Awesome! Ne, can you teach me please?"  
  
"Oh, I suppose this to impress your Aoshi-sama?" Kaoru asked slyly.  
  
Misao blushed and Kaoru giggled. They continued walking home while getting to know each other better. Rounding a corner, Kaoru said goodbye to her new friend and headed towards the opposite direction from Misao. Her house was just nearby and it took her just a 15 minutes walk to reach there.  
  
"Fancy meeting you here, tanuki."  
  
Kaoru froze. She recognized that voice very well. She turned around faced Megumi.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Isn't that obvious? We're heading to the same direction. Well, I heard about the rumors in school today."  
  
"Oh?" Kaoru feigned an innocent look.  
  
"You earned Ken-san's handshake today in the kendo club."  
  
"Well, I did. So?"  
  
"I just want to say you're a very lucky girl. Ken-san could just be underestimating you and did not display his full potential on you."  
  
"I earned it with my effort, not luck."  
  
"Is it so?"  
  
"Don't think so highly of yourself. At least I'm better than you in kendo, kitsune. I bet that you can never earn Kenshin's handshake."  
  
"How dare you! Well, at least I'm prettier than you are. No guy would ever go for an ugly and sweaty tomboy like you."  
  
'That's it, Kaoru thought; she has broken my patience limit.' "At least I can defend myself. I don't think that any guy would go for a cocky and helpless girl like you."  
  
Kaoru saw Megumi's temper rising. "Watch your mouth girl or you'll regret it for the rest of your life."  
  
"You too, Megumi Takani," Kaoru retorted.  
  
They walked together while glaring at each other. Reaching a junction, Megumi turned to the right while Kaoru continued to walk straight. Reaching her house, she hurried up the stairs to her room. Throwing her bags to the floor, she laid down on her bed, pondering on her first day in school. Exhaustion came over her and she fell asleep.  
  
To be continued  
  
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Gomen if this chapter is short and there isn't much in this chapter. However, this is a pretty important chapter as Sanosuke made his first appearance. (Well, for those asking for Sano, here he is) It is also a good interval for the next chapter. I would try my best to make the next chapter long! Please continue to R&R! 


	4. Kenshin's Thoughts On Kaoru's First Day

It's already chapter 4! I can't believe how fast I'm updating. Maybe because I'm having lots of free time after finishing my exam and this is my first fan-fic, so I'm putting lots of concentration here. I think I'm going to concentrate fully on this fic. I don't particularly like to stray and write another fic, just not the type, but I don't know yet. The reviews also kept me going! You all encourage me to write more and once again I would like to express my thanks here to these people:  
  
Sylver*star  
  
Ryoko528  
  
KenshinFan  
  
Sessha  
  
princezz kaoru  
  
mexican princess  
  
cleoclaudia  
  
beriath  
  
Jen  
  
Oh yes! I would also like to thank Sessha (sorry it's quite late) and jayekin for putting me on their favourite lists!  
  
I forgot to write this on the second and third chapter but once again I do not own Rurouni Kenshin! It belongs to the great Watsuki-sensei!  
  
Chapter 4- Kenshin's Thoughts On Kaoru's First Day  
  
Kenshin's POV  
  
I slammed my alarm clock shut and quickly rose up. I don't particularly like to wake up late. I changed into my training clothes and went into the dojo to practice my kata. The practice help to relieve my thoughts and it's a good exercise before getting ready to school. I practice for about half an hour before going to the bathroom to bathe. I changed quickly and went down for breakfast.  
  
"You're early as usual, baka-deshi." I growled and faced my uncle, Hiko Seijuro. He took care of me since I'm five years old since my parents died of a car accident. I like him and treat him like a real father. He also taught in school as my history teacher. He also taught me the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and I began to call him shishou instead of uncle. I admire him for being able to balance both his role in the family and as teacher. What I can't stand is the fact that he keep on calling me baka-deshi in spite of my achievements in school. After all, I'm top in my class. Over the time, I've gotten used to it though I'm still slightly annoyed by it. I ate my breakfast in silence. We rarely talk to each other but we're still close to each other. We did not feel the need to. He always throws sarcastic comments into my teeth every time we get into a conversation.  
  
I picked up my school bag and said a quick good-bye to my shishou. We did not go to school together with him as he prefers to come late to the school. He wants to finish reading his newspaper before going to the school. I strolled to the school and reached there ten minutes before the bell rang. I went straight into the class and sat down, keeping quiet as usual. The students already knew better than messing up with me.  
  
Hikaru-sensei walked into the class with a girl tagging behind her. She must be the new student. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail. She was beautiful in overall. What amazed me the most though, were her sapphire eyes. They were full of innocence and spirit. I have never seen such a beautiful pair of eyes. I could see my male classmates drooling over her. I chuckled. 'Looks like you have gotten yourself popular for your first day in school.' I said silently to the new girl.  
  
"I'm Kaoru. Kamiya Kaoru. Please to meet all of you." said the new girl, introducing herself to the class. 'Kaoru, a beautiful name,' I thought. She began walking around the class searching for an empty seat. I realized that there was only one empty seat left in class, which HAPPENED to be the one right in front of me. "Oh shit," I muttered. This girl obviously didn't know about my reputation in school. My classmates knew that I detest having people around me, so they practically dragged their tables and chairs away from me. But this girl didn't.  
  
I kept my head low as she walked towards the empty seat in front of me. She sat down and I realized she was staring at me. I sensed a mysterious ki from her, different from everybody else. Perhaps because she was a girl, I don't particularly pay attention to woman's ki and shishou never taught me how to, so I just shrugged it off and continued to keep silent.  
  
"Hi, I'm Kamiya Kaoru. May I know your name?"  
  
That caught me rather off-guard. I never expect her to talk to me. I thought she would just ignore me and left me alone. Personally, I was rather angry because she disrupted my thoughts. I was also aware of the murmurs around the class, making me even more annoyed. So I did the obvious thing. I raised my head and fixed her a you-better-not-mess-with-me-or- you'll-regret-it look with my amber eyes. It was very cold and emotionless and apparently it worked. She shuddered and turned back and concentrated on the lesson. I also started concentrating on the lesson, copying notes as usual.  
  
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It was lunch time. That Kaoru girl had left the class. She probably could not wait to grab something to eat. I rose from my seat and began hearing more murmurs coming from the class. Most people probably could not hear them but through my practice in swordsmanship, my sense of hearing was much better than the others so I could catch them pretty well.  
  
"That Kaoru girl was sure something. I couldn't believe she talked to that Himura!"  
  
"Yeah man! She sure has a lot of guts!"  
  
"I thought Himura would strangle her for that! You know he definitely hate it when people try talk to him."  
  
"Maybe he has taken a liking to that," his words were cut short when he saw me glaring at him. People always seem to treat me like I'm deaf or something. If they would like to make comments about me, couldn't they just wait until I'm out of the earshot? "Stupid," I muttered under my breath and walked out of the classroom. I could still hear those murmurs but I ignored them and walked away from the classroom. I knew I wouldn't like what I'm going to hear there anyway.  
  
I have just bought a sandwich from a stall in the cafeteria and saw Sano seating together with Aoshi, Soujiro and Shishio on a table. He beckoned to me and I walked towards the table and seated myself beside him. I ate in silent while they chatted together, except for Aoshi. He would never talk unless it's necessary.  
  
"Hey Kenshin, I heard a new girl has just transferred to our school."  
  
I kept silent. I could see where this was leading to.  
  
"Heard she talk to you. Did something interesting happen?"  
  
"Sano, it'd be wise if you just keep quiet," Aoshi said to Sano noticing my angry face. I thanked him silently. I was really annoyed with all the murmurs in the class and Sano was making it worse. He understood me and left me alone. The gang had already gotten used to my silent state anyway.  
  
After finishing our food, we walked around the cafeteria while I kept quiet as usual. I heard somebody calling "Aoshi-sama!" and turned around to see Makimachi Misao staring at Aoshi with her puppy eyes. I glanced to my right and saw Aoshi muttering something. I smirked. I knew Misao absolutely adored him. I rather admire her though as she was the only girl qualified for the kendo club. After all, most girls had no stamina for kendo. She might not be good, but her determination makes up for it.  
  
I saw Kaoru seating beside Megumi and Yumi. It looks like she had gotten herself a few friends. I scowled when I saw Megumi. Everybody in school knew that she liked to flirt around with me, but I knew why. She liked Sano. That's quite obvious for me. Sano also liked her but both of them had little guts to admit it or made an advance towards the other. Her way of catching Sano's attention sickened me though. She had stopped flirting with me right after that incident. I pushed that thought away from my mind. I did not want to remember it.  
  
The bell suddenly rang. I hurried to my locker and grabbed my history books, before running to the class. I would be facing my shishou again.  
  
I seated myself at a corner of the class. A moment later, Kaoru entered and seated herself beside me. 'Not again,' I thought. Shishou walked in and began scanning around the class. I knew he was looking for me. Just as I expected, he called me baka-deshi in front of the whole class. It was just a form of amusement for him to do that every time he saw me. I wouldn't mind being called that at home, but certainly not in school. That was rather embarrassing. I replied nonchalantly to him. I knew he would enjoy it if he saw me getting annoyed.  
  
He called Kaoru to introduce herself to the class and she did. Shishou began lecturing the class and I started copying down the notes.  
  
"Hey, why did you ignore me this morning?" Kaoru suddenly asked me.  
  
Once again, I was caught off-guard. It was the second time of the day and it was done by the same person. I ignored her. Couldn't she understand that I wished to be left alone? This girl was sure dense!  
  
"Are you mute? Could you at least talk to me?"  
  
"Could you stop bugging me?" I shot her an icy glare. She was definitely annoying me.  
  
"Not a chance. I want to fix that attitude of yours, mister."  
  
"Try it if you can. Now stop nagging at me." I was challenging her indirectly. I was a bit surprised though. It had been a long time since I actually talk to someone with more than one statement.  
  
Not if I can help it. At least tell me your name."  
  
"Fine, Kenshin Himura"  
  
"I'm Kamiya Kaoru."  
  
I shrugged her off. Luckily, she stopped bugging me and I was relieved. I continued concentrating to the class. I wished this would be over quickly. I really didn't want to see her again.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I began changing into my training outfit which consists of a blue gi and a white hakama. I picked up my sakabatou and went into the gym. I saw Saitoh- sensei talking to two people at the corner. Not that I really care about him. I scanned the gym and was glad to find Sano and the rest doing their warm-up at a corner. I was about to join them when Saitoh-sensei called me. I walked towards him cursing swearing under my breath. I knew he would want me to test a newcomer. It was my job as I'm the kendo captain. The newcomer turned out to be someone that I would never expect. It was Kaoru. I redoubled my swearing.  
  
Both of us walked to the centre of the gym while the rest began to make space. I prepared my stance. It all made sense to me now though. Now I knew why her ki seemed so strange when I first detected it in the morning. I saw her preparing a stance, a determined look on her face. I sensed that her ki began to flare. It was unusually strong for a girl. I could not underestimate her now.  
  
I sped towards her with my god-like speed and caught her almost off-guard. To my surprise, she blocked it and aimed her shinai to my abdomen. I blocked it swiftly and spun around until I was at her back. She ducked my sword just as it was about to hit her neck. She aimed for my leg. I jumped and swing the sword down, striking her from mid-air.  
  
What happened next caught me completely by surprise. She caught my blade with the back of her hand and began sliding them along the sakabatou while holding up her shinai, getting ready to strike my head. I reacted quickly and spun in mid-air. Before she knew it, my sword was already at her throat.  
  
After a few moments, the audience began clapping thunderously. I truly enjoyed the fight and I would never expect that this comes from a girl.  
  
"A great fight. Have you learnt kendo before?" I asked her curiously.  
  
"Yes, my father taught me. It's called the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu."  
  
"I see."  
  
"What's yours? I have never seen such a fast technique before and you use a sakabatou."  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. My shishou taught me and he said it was inappropriate to be used with a shinai. You have earned my respect, Kamiya-san."  
  
"Just call me Kaoru, Himura-san."  
  
"Just call me Kenshin, Kaoru."  
  
I nodded and before I knew it, I extended my right hand to her. She was surprised but she extended hers as well and we shook hands. There were murmurs around the gym. 'I chose a girl for my sparring partner?' I thought to myself. It was unbelievable. However, I truly feel that she deserved it. She had the soul of a fighter, I must admit. It was funny though that this girl who annoyed me earlier this morning actually earned my respect. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
I pondered on the incidents that happened earlier this morning while lying on my bed. I had just finished training with my shishou and had taken a bath. I was completely exhausted. My thoughts reverted back to Kaoru. She intrigued me for some reason. Sure, she was annoying but there was something about her that deserves some respect. Maybe it was her determination and her pride as a warrior. I keep on staring at the ceiling while thinking deeply and exhaustion began to come over me and eventually I fell asleep.  
  
To be continued  
  
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Phew! That was the longest chapter I have ever written. I would continue to update as soon as possible. I would try to make chapter 5 to be as long as this or longer. I would also like to answer some questions from the reviews:  
  
LittoGrrlStephie: No, Kenshin's eyes won't be always amber in this fic. Later on, it would turn back into violet. I can't give away too much, it would be spoilers.  
  
Saeka: Well, I can't tell you much about this, gomen. It would give away the main plot of the fic.  
  
KenshinFan: I would try my best to include Yahiko inside this fic. In fact, I already planned his role in the fic, but I'm not very sure yet.  
  
princezz kaoru: I would try to make this SXM. I also think it would be incomplete without them in the fic, ne?  
  
cleoclaudia: I'm sorry if you're expecting Enishi in this fic... I did try to put him inside but somehow the plot doesn't go along with him. Gomen for all those Enishi fans. For Shishio, well he'd be sort of Kenshin's friend. (Not a close friend though) Well, I can't make him an enemy in this fic, again it does not fit into my plot. For earning Kenshin's respect, I think Kenshin did say he respect his skill in the manga right? So I guess it would be okay to do the same here. Well yes, he's on the same grade, except different classes. For his appearance, I would be using the one before he got burned. (Can't have him walking around the school wrapped in bandages, can he? It would freak out his classmate!)  
  
Continue to R&R please! 


	5. A Visit To Kenshin's House

Sorry for the long update! I'm back to school, so I am pretty busy these few days. I would like to thanks these people for reviewing my fic:  
  
Kakarlena Tsugoi: A big thanks for you review!  
  
Chiruken: Thank you so much for being such a loyal reviewer! You have reviewed from chapter 1 and all the way to chapter 4! Btw, I did read a few of your fics. Your story, the truth, gave me a good laugh for the day, honest! You're a good writer, it's just me an irresponsible reader who is too lazy to submit a review, gomen, don't kill me! (Ducks)  
  
can't-get-enough-anime: Big thanks for your review! It really keeps me going!  
  
mexican princess: LOL for your comment. Thanks for your review and bookmarking me! It still means a lot!  
  
AmorithLilac: Thank you for your review!  
  
Wings of Faith: Yes, Kenshin and Kaoru will end up together! (That's my aim for this story in the first place!) Thank you for your reviews!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin! (This is getting rather tiring!)  
  
Chapter 5 – A Visit To Kenshin's House  
  
It had been two weeks since Kaoru arrived in her new school. She had become best friend with Misao and quite a close friend with Megumi. Though rivalry still exists between them, Kaoru had begun to understand her better. Megumi's name-calling and insults had not disappeared though.  
  
Kaoru should probably thank her kendo special status for ending the dispute between her and Megumi, though not totally. She had been invited by Sano and the gang of Kenshin's sparring partner to eat with them, considering she was now one of them too. Naturally, they allowed her friends to sit with them too, which made them very grateful to Kaoru. Misao could stick with her Aoshi, while Yumi was glad to be closer to Shishio. Shishio seemed to like her too. For Megumi, Kaoru was rather surprised at the outcome. She thought that Megumi's target was Kenshin. However, it turned out to be Sanosuke. She never showed it to him though and they usually ended arguing while they were together which always deteriorated into name-calling. Sano called her Megitsune while she called him tori-atama. Kaoru found their bickering amusing and funny.  
  
She had grown close to Sano who insisted calling her Jou-chan despite her constant reminder to him to not call her that. She was quite close to Soujiro too, except that she found his ever-smiling face quite unnerving. He always smiles and Kaoru found it odd that he never display any other emotions such as anger or sadness. She was stunned by his sword skill though. She had often seen him fighting with Kenshin and was surprised at how good he was. He often got into trouble though. Whenever he got engrossed in the battle, he tended to use a technique called shukuchi, a super-fast technique that Kaoru was unable to catch with her naked eye. Kenshin seemed to have no trouble handling him and enjoyed fighting with him. They always got interrupted by Saitoh-sensei and Soujiro got into trouble with him for damaging the floor of the gym.  
  
Kaoru never really liked Shishio Makoto. She found him too weird and he scared her sometimes when he spoke. His sword skill had to be respected though and he was rumoured to be the second best in kendo. Nevertheless, she could never understand why Yumi could ever like him. 'Well, everybody had different personal opinion after all,' she reminded herself.  
  
Kaoru, however was not exactly a bright student in school. She usually had troubles doing her assignments. She found out that Kenshin always topped the level and figured that he could help her with her Chemistry test which was coming next week. She gathered her guts one day and spoke to him during Literature class.  
  
"Kenshin?"  
  
Kenshin looked up to her, keeping his face passive and quiet as usual.  
  
"Uhm, I wondered if you would help me with my Chemistry since I suck at it and the test is next week. I thought I could come to your house and we could study together." She saw him considering her offer and to her surprise, he nodded. She had expected him to turn it down. It seemed Kenshin was not that bad after all. As Sano explained, Kenshin might be cold but he would help people when they were in need.  
  
"I would meet you after school, all right?"  
  
Again, Kenshin nodded. Kaoru was glad that he agreed to help her and hoped that his help would improve her marks. She continued to concentrate in class while waiting impatiently for school to end. She could not wait to get into Kenshin's house and wondered how it looked like. She was also curious about his parents and was eager to meet them.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Kaoru walked together with Kenshin in silence. She did not want to bother him so as not to ruin his mood. It would be disastrous to anger him and it could result to him refusing to teach her anymore.  
  
"We're here," Kenshin said quietly to her.  
  
Kaoru looked up and saw Kenshin's house for the first time. It was quite large, certainly bigger than Dr Genzi's, and it looked beautiful though it was simple. Kenshin opened the gate for her and walked into his house, with Kaoru tailing behind him. His house had a small garden with a fish pond near it. She gasped when she saw the interior. The wall was painted white and the floor was marble grey. There was a dining table in the center and a kitchen behind. There was a TV beside the dining table with couches nearby. The lighting was rather simple and not too bright. It was really a homey sort of place.  
  
Kenshin was looking at her curiously who seemed to be taken in by the sight.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, I never expected your house to be like this. I thought it was a very messy sort of place, never thought it was this neat," Kaoru said, earning her a glare from Kenshin. "Where are your parents?"  
  
"They died when I was young and I lived here with my uncle."  
  
"I'm very sorry about that," Kaoru said apologetically. She was an orphan too. Her father died of a disease five years ago, leaving her mother to care for the family alone. She was driven by exhaustion and eventually fell ill and died one year ago. Kaoru moved in with her mother's friend who was willing to take them in. She cared about Kaoru so much and loved her like her own daughter.  
  
Kaoru was suddenly greeted with a familiar voice that shocked her.  
  
"Welcome home baka-deshi. What a surprise that you brought that Kamiya girl along with you."  
  
To be continued  
  
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Well, I know this chapter is short and it ended a bit weird but I think it's more appropriate to end this way since it would be a good interval and continuing would not be too good. It would be hard for me to find an alternative ending for this chapter if I continued it. Anyway, I'm sure you know who that was, it was obvious right? (^_^)  
  
Please continue to R&R! 


	6. Uncle Hiko?

Hi again! We're on chapter 6 now! I would like to thanks these people for their encouragement:  
  
Megumi_Katekawa, CurlsofSerenity: For your review on chapter 4! Sorry it's late but I update chapter 5 already before your review came in.  
  
Chiruken: You reviewed all my chapters! Thank you so much for that!  
  
Dove of Night, star-crystals, Kakarlena Tsugoi: Sorry if you hate cliffhangers, but I really can't find an alternative way to end the chapter!  
  
can't-get-enough-anime  
  
mexican princess: Thank you for being a loyal reviewer!  
  
beriath: I already wrote this on chapter 4 but never mind- Shishio would be using his appearance before he got burned (He would scare people away if he wore bandages!) I know he looked kinda old be a student, but let's assume he's rather young here (^_^). Oh yes, I know it was rather odd for Kaoru to do that, but I hope that this chapter could answer your questions. By the way, it's not for doing homework and they're studying together.  
  
irksome one  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters.  
  
Chapter 6 - Uncle Hiko?  
  
*Kaoru's thoughts during the walk with Kenshin*  
  
I knew I was rather asking too much from Kenshin. Well, I really had no choice for this matter. Misao and the others were not really good with their studies and asking them would not be a good option. I'm still new here, so I did not know about my classmates yet and asking strangers for this kind of help would not be a wise one. I'm quite sure they would turn it down anyway since they were upset by the rumours and they practically viewed me as a rival for Kenshin's attention. I wondered why they would still be chasing him even though he turned cold shoulders with them.  
  
That left me with the last option, Kenshin himself. I was rather scared about asking him but he's my only option. He's the top student in school after all. At least I knew him even though merely, as during my sparring with him for the last two weeks, he had at least began to accept me and did not get annoyed whenever I talked to him like the last time. I also managed to get to know him better through information from his friends, especially from Sano. He seemed to understand Kenshin a lot which I found rather surprising considering Kenshin's attitude towards him. Kenshin and I would still rarely talk together, but he acknowledged me as a friend, though not a close one. I was rather surprised when he agreed to help me. I was rather glad though that I had the courage to ask him and that he had agreed to do so. We walked together in silence, both of us deep in our thoughts.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
*Kenshin's POV*  
  
I was really surprised when Kaoru approached me for help. She did not seem to be the type to ask help from anyone. She must be really serious about this chemistry test. I was about to refuse but her eyes seemed to be pleading at me. In the end, I nodded at her, which surprised her. I might have a cold attitude but that does not mean that I was completely heartless. After all, she really needed my help and as a classmate, it is my responsibility to help her improved her grades. I had refused offers from many girls who asked me to help them in their studies, because I knew that they were looking for excuses to be near me. I had looked at their grades before and they were doing rather well and did not need my help at all. I'm not that stupid.  
  
I stopped walking when we reached my house. "We're here," I said quietly to her. She looked up to see my house. I opened the gate for her and she tailed behind me as I made my way to the house. She looked around my house with a curious look. She gasped when she saw the interior of the house. I looked at her curiously. My home was rather simple and there was nothing special about it but she seemed fascinated by it.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, I never expected your house to be like this. I thought it was a very messy sort of place, never thought it was this neat," she answered. I glared at her. I knew many guys like to be messy, especially Sano. His house was quite neat but his room was like a shipwreck. I'm not like other guys though, I prefer neatness. I just can't stand messy things. Shishou was also a neat person and it was a good thing. Having a messy person around me at home would probably drive me crazy.  
  
"Where are your parents?"  
  
"They died when I was young and I lived here with my uncle," I answered her. I did not feel that sad anymore compared to when I was young. I guessed I had gotten used to their deaths and I had regarded shishou as my father. Speaking of him, I suddenly swore quietly. He was bound to mock me for bringing Kaoru to the house. I had never brought any other girl home since that incident. I scowled. I did not want to brood about it anymore. Just as I expected, he greeted me with the usual sarcasm.  
  
"Welcome home baka-deshi. What a surprise that you brought that Kamiya girl along with you."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Kaoru gasped in surprise. Hiko-sensei was sitting at the dining table and he had a smirk on his face. How could he be here? Then I remembered about the conversation I had earlier with Kenshin. Before I knew, I spoke.  
  
"You're Kenshin's uncle?"  
  
"Well, well it seems that you have not known about it I see. Yes, I'm his uncle and I have been taking care of the baka-deshi since he was five."  
  
'No wonder he dared to call Kenshin baka-deshi in class,' Kaoru thought.  
  
"Well, my baka-deshi seemed to have finally matured and brought a girl home."  
  
"It's not what you thought, shishou. I brought her home to help her in her chemistry studies," Kenshin answered quietly.  
  
"Oh? Don't need to hide it from me, baka-deshi. Even if you're shy about it, you don't need to cover it up."  
  
"That's enough shishou," Kenshin glowered at him with a threatening tone and led Kaoru up the stairs to his room.  
  
"Don't forget about your practice later," Hiko reminded him.  
  
"I won't."  
  
Kenshin led Kaoru to his room. It was quite large and surprisingly neat. 'I guess he's really a neat person,' Kaoru thought. There was a single bed that was quite large and a cupboard was standing at the right corner. His books were stacked neatly at the shelves. His walls were plain white and there were posters of various music groups on the wall. Kenshin beckoned to Kaoru towards a study table that was quite large.  
  
"So, where should we begin?"  
  
Kaoru opened her bookand indicated to him the parts that she did not understand. For the next one hour, Kaoru learned a lot from Kenshin. He was a good teacher and he was also patient in his teaching. If she did not understand anything, he would explain it again slower and with more details. She learned much more quickly from him in an hour than learning from her Chemistry teacher in the class for two weeks.  
  
Time seemed to pass very quickly. Kaoru realised that it was already seven at night. She quickly gathered her books.  
  
"Sorry, I think I have to go home now. My uncle must be very worried. Thank you very much for your help in my studies."  
  
Kenshin nodded. They went down the stairs and saw Hiko preparing dinner. He invited her for dinner but Kaoru refused politely, saying that her uncle would probably be waiting for her to eat dinner together. She did call and inform him before she went to Kenshin's house but she promised him to come back before dinner and now she was late. She bid Hiko good-bye. Hiko insisted that Kenshin accompanied her on the way home and Kaoru had no choice but to accept.  
  
They walked together quietly. When she was near her house, Kaoru told Kenshin that she could now walk alone.  
  
"Thank you for walking me home and for teaching me. I'm very sorry for bothering you today."  
  
"You don't need to. After all, you're still my friend even though we didn't know each other well. It's my responsibility to help."  
  
'He's not such a bad guy after all. I guess Sano was right,' Kaoru thought. They bid each other good-byes and Kaoru walked into her house. Dr Genzi was expecting her with a worried look.  
  
"Where have you been? I thought you said you're coming home before dinner."  
  
"I was at my friend's house studying. Sorry, I didn't keep track of the time."  
  
"You're eating dinner with me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Kaoru put her bag in her room and went down to eat dinner together with her uncle. While eating, Dr Genzi suddenly spoke to her.  
  
"I have good news for you."  
  
"What is it, uncle?"  
  
"Your cousin, Yahiko would be staying here since he also transferred to a new school near here."  
  
Kaoru was surprised. She would be staying with Yahiko? Yahiko was a cousin from her father's side and he was ten years old. She did not really hate him but he always teased her. She could not stand him sometime and both of them often ended in a fight.  
  
"When he's coming?" Kaoru asked his uncle.  
  
"He's coming tomorrow."  
  
'Tomorrow? That fast?' Kaoru thought. Worse of all, he would be staying with her for a long time. She sighed as she went to her room. She hoped that Yahiko would not be troubling her too much.  
  
To be continued  
  
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Yai! This chapter is done! Yahiko's arriving on the next chapter! I originally want to make him Kaoru's younger brother but I guess cousin would be better. Continue to R&R! 


	7. Yahiko's Arrival

Sorry for the long update. I was planning to update this like everyday but I'm rather busy and I just finished my physical fitness test (I'm studying in S'pore) and my body ache like hell! (I'm don't do sport regularly, that's the reason ^_^)  
  
I would like to thank these people:  
  
beriath  
  
Silver Running Water: I'm not good in writing long chapters, sorry! I would try my best though!  
  
Kakarlena Tsugoi, dragontamer9741: Hehe, please be patient, I'm busy with school life too!  
  
tiaravball15  
  
mexican princess: oopsss.... I type your name wrongly! For your information, I upload chapter 6 again with your name typed correctly. Sorry for the mistake!  
  
Jezika  
  
aki: Again, I'm not good in writing long chapter. Kenshin will not remain battousai throughout the fic. (He's not exactly battousai though ^_^) But I guess I won't make him say dono and sessha here, it's modern time here and it's rather weird for such archaic speech.  
  
Bunny Rabbit/ Monkey: You're reading the story backward? That's weird, LOL. ^_^ Big thanks for your three reviews and also for putting me on your favourite list!  
  
Sessha: I don't mind if you don't review every chapter. I'm a lazy reviewer and I don't give many reviews, so I can't criticize people right? I also agree with your opinion of Yahiko!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin!  
  
Chapter 7: Yahiko's Arrival  
  
Kaoru was stirring her cup of orange juice continuously with her drinking straw. She was lost in her thought, thinking about her cousin Yahiko. She was really hoping that he would not mess up her school life while staying with her. Her uncle's house would not be a good place to invite friends anymore with Yahiko being around. He would tease her and her friends and it would be rather embarrassing to fight in front of her friends.  
  
"Why are you so quiet today, Kaoru?" Misao interrupted her thought.  
  
"Oh, nothing, it's just that my annoying cousin would be arriving today and he would be staying with me."  
  
"You have a cousin? How old is he?"  
  
"Ten. He acts like he's a big guy though and he is very irritating."  
  
"Well, if he bullies you, you could tell me and I would make sure that he regrets it!"  
  
"Thank you, Misao. I could handle him myself though."  
  
The school bell rang. Kaoru quickly rushed to her lockers and get her books. She walked into her mathematic class and as usual, she seated herself at the corner. She didn't like getting picked by her teachers to answer their questions and she hoped that she would be less noticeable by sitting at the corner.  
  
The day went off rather smoothly. Kaoru didn't get picked by any teachers and surprisingly, she didn't fall asleep in any class. Most of the classes were boring as usual but she managed to stay awake. While listening to her chemistry teacher, she glanced and noticed that Misao was dozing off. Misao was in the same classes with her for Chemistry and English. Kaoru chuckled. She had to admit the lecture was really putting her to sleep but she forced herself to stay awake. She had troubles with her chemistry and she didn't want to bother Kenshin again. She figured that if she pays more attention in class, she would be able to understand better.  
  
The bell finally rang. Kaoru sighed in relief. 'Finally, I was almost bored to death,' she thought. She gathered her books and went to her locker to put them inside. Today was Friday so she did not have kendo practice. She only had it on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday as an extra practice even though there was no school on Saturday. 'Great, now I would be seeing the annoying Yahiko. Hope he had corrected his manners.' She closed her locker door and went to see Misao and Megumi.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"So, tanuki had a boy cousin. No wonder you became a tomboy," Megumi sneered, while laughing her usual sarcastic laugh. They were walking home together and Megumi had found out about Yahiko from Misao along the way.  
  
"It has nothing to do with him. Besides, it doesn't mean that if I take kendo, I'm a tomboy," Kaoru retorted.  
  
"Really? Well, wish you luck with your cousin. I hope he would give you a good time," Megumi said sarcastically.  
  
Kaoru clenched her fist. She tried to control her temper. She knew it was just Megumi's habit to tease her. She suddenly smirked to her. "Well, kitsune, you need not worry about me. I could handle myself perfectly well." She saw Megumi looking rather annoyed. She knew she hated that nickname.  
  
"Hmph," was all that Megumi said and they continued walking down in silent. Reaching the junction, they started to part and Kaoru waved them goodbye. Megumi was supposed to continue to walk with Kaoru but she had just found a part-time job as a nurse in a nearby clinic. The doctor was a kind old woman to her. She worked there on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. She worked from five to nine at night. Megumi did not really care about the payment. She just loved the job and she aspired to be a doctor someday. Kaoru realized that Megumi was not exactly as mean as she seems to be. She was actually a kind-hearted woman who was also very mature and does not like to depend on others. The fact that she had already set a goal from high school made Kaoru rather admired her. She did not have any ambition compared to Megumi and she was not totally sure of her future.  
  
Reaching her home, Kaoru was greeted warmly by his uncle.  
  
"Welcome home Kaoru. By the way, Yahiko's here," Dr Genzi told her.  
  
'Oh great,' Kaoru thought. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Yahiko dressed in a black t-shirt and blue Bermuda short. He had not changed much since Kaoru last saw him. His height had not changed and he still sported the usual black spiky hair. He smirked at her. Kaoru sighed. This promised to be a long day for her.  
  
"Hey, busu."  
  
"Busu? I see that you have not learned your manners yet, Yahiko-CHAN," Kaoru retorted calmly. She was trying her best to avoid a fight with Yahiko. She had emphasized on the word "chan" as she knew he hated people calling him that. He considered himself to be much matured though he still acted like a normal ten-year-old kid.  
  
"Don't call me that," he told Kaoru with a slight threatening tone.  
  
"Why not, Yahiko-chan?" Kaoru smirked at him. Yahiko was looking very pissed.  
  
"Don't call me that! I'm not a CHAN!" he said loudly.  
  
"You better stop calling me busu then."  
  
"Fine, I would stop calling you that if you do me a favour."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I heard your school had a kendo club. I was thinking of visiting it tomorrow since you have practice tomorrow and see those people practicing." Kaoru knew that Yahiko really loved kendo and he aspired to become a top kendo fighter. They often sparred together but Kaoru always won. Yahiko often cursed and told her that she was just lucky and that he would practice harder to defeat her. Of course, that never happened.  
  
"Why should I help you?"  
  
"Please, Kaoru! I promised I would behave myself!" Yahiko pleaded with her. He would do anything for kendo.  
  
"Fine, but make sure you keep your promise. I would like to have a nice quiet weekend. I'm having my tests next week so don't disturb me."  
  
"Okay!" Yahiko agreed.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Ne, Kaoru where is your school? We had been walking for about fifteen minutes," said Yahiko impatiently.  
  
"Are you kidding? We had only been walking for five minutes. Geez, Yahiko. I knew you're excited but be patient a bit, will you?"  
  
Yahiko grumbled and kept silent. He was trying his best to keep quiet as they walked to school. He did not want to annoy Kaoru or else he could not come with her. Luckily, the school allowed visitors in. They finally reached the school. Kaoru walked to the gym with Yahiko tailing behind. He was looking around the school curiously. 'So, this is high school,' he thought.  
  
Kaoru slid the gym door open and saw many guys practicing even though Saitoh-sensei had not arrived yet. Yahiko was looking intently at those people. He was excited to see a real kendo class as he had never seen it before.  
  
"Oi, Jou-chan!" Sano approached Kaoru. "Who's that?" he pointed to Yahiko.  
  
"He's my cousin."  
  
"What's your name, kiddo?" Sano asked Yahiko.  
  
"I'm Yahiko Myoujin and don't call me kiddo!" Yahiko shouted at Sano.  
  
"Whatever you say, kid." Yahiko was fuming and Kaoru giggled. She knew that Sano could not be bothered. She had insisted to him to stop calling her Jou- chan but he ignored it.  
  
"See you later, Jou-chan," Sano told her and went to join Aoshi and the other sparring partners. Saitoh-sensei arrived in the gym and everybody stopped their practice. Just then, Kenshin walked in.  
  
"You're late, ahou."  
  
"I was helping my uncle cleaning the dishes. He's just too lazy to do it," Kenshin told him. Saitoh was the second person that could annoy him beside his uncle. He called him ahou instead of baka-deshi.  
  
"Typical," Saitoh murmured. "Now get into your position, people. Practice as usual. I won't be supervising today. I had school matters to attend to. Himura, I expect you to keep the practice in order." Kenshin nodded and Saitoh left the gym.  
  
"Who's that?" Yahiko asked Kaoru, pointing to Kenshin.  
  
"Kenshin Himura, our kendo captain."  
  
"Is he that good?"  
  
"You watch."  
  
Kaoru went to join her sparring partners. Yahiko stood at the corner watching the practice intently. He especially could not wait to see Kenshin in action. The sparring partners had been decided. Shishio would be sparring with Aoshi while Kaoru with Sano. Soujiro did not attend the Saturday practice as he had a part-time job in a grocery store. He was excused since his family was quite poor and Saturday practice was not actually compulsory. Kenshin had decided that he would practice alone. He did not feel like sparring with anyone. He went to an empty spot and began to practice his kata.  
  
Yahiko was amazed as he saw Kenshin executing his movement perfectly. He never saw anyone with such a skill and he stood rooted to the spot watching Kenshin practicing. When Kenshin had finished, Yahiko quickly approached him.  
  
"That was awesome! What movement is that?"  
  
"The Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Yahiko Myoujin. Could you teach me that skill?"  
  
"No, I didn't want to teach it to anyone," Kenshin replied quietly.  
  
Kaoru suddenly appeared. "Yahiko, come here! Practice session is over."  
  
"See you later!" Yahiko waved to Kenshin and Kenshin just stay silent as usual.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
As they were walking home, Kaoru was bombarded with many questions from Yahiko. Kaoru sighed. Yahiko kept on asking her about Kenshin. He was totally amazed by Kenshin's display of his skills.  
  
"He was totally awesome. He's the number one and I would be the second!" Yahiko boasted.  
  
"Big dream," Kaoru said.  
  
Kaoru told her about her duel with Kenshin when she just joined kendo to Yahiko along the way home and Yahiko listened intently. 'I guess he totally idolized Kenshin now,' she thought.  
  
"Hey Kaoru, could I come again next week?"  
  
"You could, only if you behave yourself."  
  
"Alright, but keep your promise."  
  
"It's a deal. Oh by the way, don't try to strike a conversation with him. He's known as the lone wolf in school."  
  
"He's cool though," Yahiko told her, "and I'm going to be as good as him one day."  
  
To be continued  
  
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Hope you like the chapter. R&R, minna-san! 


	8. Beginning of Hope

Hiya! I was originally planning to update this a few days ago but my internet connection went wrong and I can't post any chapter on the fanfiction even though I'm logged in. Yay! Twelve reviews! I would like to once again thank these people:  
  
Reign: Thank you for your review! Actually quite a few people have told me about Megumi's nickname but thank you for your help!  
  
Bunny Rabbit: He he, again I'm not good in writing long chapters. You print it. I can't do that since I've got lots of stories that I read and some of them have really long chapters. If I print all of them, it's going to pile up like a mountain! ^_^ Thanx for your review too!  
  
mexican princess: It's not that troublesome at all. I saved it in my document and so I just load it and type the double s to your name and post it again! Presto! Don't feel bad about it! ^_^ Anyway, it's my mistake so I've got to correct it!  
  
Kakarlena Tsugoi: Be patient. and please don't flood!  
  
irksome one: LOL, Thank for your review!  
  
tiaravball15: You're not asking too much. Personally, I think my chapters are really short, but what to do, I just can't seem to make them long!  
  
beriath: Patient. answers came as the plot goes. Thank you for your review!  
  
Chiruken: Thank you for your reviews on chapter 6 and 7! You're my loyal reviewer! By the way, I noticed that you're a very active reviewer. I noticed your name in lots of stories. I guess we have the same liking in stories. I also like those stories you reviewed! ^_^  
  
Yuhi  
  
Jenna  
  
Akayia: Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not going to do something nasty to Megumi. I personally don't really like her but she's not that bad actually. Thank you for your review!  
  
SLL  
  
Starry Night: I'll try to update regularly and thank you for putting me on your fav list!  
  
LittoGrrlStephie for putting me on your favourite list!  
  
Sessha: Thank you for your review! You really look deep into things!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin  
  
Chapter 8: Beginning of Hope  
  
A week later  
  
Kaoru looked at the result board anxiously. She hoped that she passed all her subjects. She looked at the board carefully and let out a sigh of relief. She had passed all subjects and to her biggest relief, her chemistry as well. She was really scared about failing it, as it was her weakest subject. On average, she scored 70. 'At least it was not so bad,' Kaoru thought.  
  
She looked up to see the top scorer and as she had expected, it was Kenshin. She had learned from Misao that he had always been the top scorer and nobody had ever beaten him. She gasped when she saw his scores. On average, he scored 95. 'That was really high! No wonder nobody had ever beaten him.' However, it was to be expected. After all, Kaoru had seen him taking lots of notes during lesson and paying full attention in class. On top of that, he was a good teacher too. Without his help, she might have failed her chemistry.  
  
'I've got to thank him. After all, he helped me to pass my chemistry.' She hurried to the gym. She had just finished her school and she had the kendo practice now. Reaching the changing room, she quickly changed into her gi and hakama. She headed to the usual spot where all her sparring partners are. She noticed Kenshin sitting alone there. 'A good chance.' She approached Kenshin who was keeping his head down and seemed to be in deep thought.  
  
"Kenshin."  
  
Kenshin looked up, but he still kept silent.  
  
"Uhmm, I would like to thank you for helping me in my chemistry."  
  
"You don't need to thank me. I was just helping a classmate."  
  
Just then, Sano came from behind and slap Kaoru's back.  
  
"Yo, Jou-chan, ready for the practice?"  
  
"Well, I am. Where are the others?"  
  
"They're going to be late since they have something to attend to." Sano turned to Kenshin. "So, who are you going to spar against with?"  
  
"You guys can go first. I'll be waiting for Soujiro."  
  
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Kaoru's POV  
  
Sano nodded and both of us walked to an empty spot. Both of us prepared our stance. Sano lunged first to me and swung the shinai horizontally from the right and it was aimed at my left shoulder. I blocked it and moved a step behind. I swung my shinai in a vertical direction. Sano moved backwards. He suddenly lunged forward and thrust his shinai at my abdomen. It was an unexpected attack. I barely blocked it and was forced backwards by his great force. My back knocked against something and it made a creaking sound.  
  
"Watch out!" Sano shouted at me. I turned around and saw that a ladder was collapsing on me. It was too late for me to avoid it. I closed my eyes as the ladder collapsed on me. I heard a knocking sound and was surprised when I did not feel any pain. I opened my eyes and was shocked when I saw Kenshin carrying me on his arms. He put me down slowly.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked me.  
  
I nodded and was horrified when I saw Kenshin clutching his right shoulder. In an attempt of saving me from the falling ladder, he had hurt himself! I felt guilty.  
  
"Kenshin, are you alright. I'm so sorry! You hurt yourself because of me!"  
  
"Kenshin, Jou-chan! Are you two all right? My gosh, Kenshin you're hurt!"  
  
Kenshin was still clutching on his right shoulder with a look of pain on his face. I wished I had been able to move faster and avoided the ladder myself. Kenshin would never get hurt then.  
  
"We need to go to a doctor quickly! Kenshin, can you walk?"  
  
He nodded and Sano helped him to get up and walk. I immediately thought of Megumi's clinic. I guided them along the way.  
  
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"How is he?" I asked as Megumi came out of the doctor's room.  
  
"He's fine. He just fractured his right shoulder. However, he would not be able to practise kendo for the next two months."  
  
"It's all my fault. He wouldn't be in this condition if not for me."  
  
"Don't blame yourself, Jou-chan. It's partly my fault too. If I had not been too forceful on you during our spar, you would not have knocked against the ladder," Sano told me.  
  
I nodded. I still felt guilty what happened despite Sano trying to comfort me. I saw Kenshin coming out of the room with a bandage on his right shoulder. Sano and I quickly approached him.  
  
"Are you alright?" I asked him.  
  
He nodded. I had to make it up to him somehow.  
  
"How about letting me carry your bag home for you. With your present condition, you would not be able to do that."  
  
"I'm fine by myself."  
  
"Don't do that. You had just hurt yourself and it's my fault. You shouldn't push yourself too hard."  
  
In the end, Kenshin agreed after Kaoru's insist. Both of them walked out of the clinic with Kaoru carrying his bag. Megumi and Sano watched the two of them curiously. She turned to him.  
  
"So, Ken-san saved Kaoru eh?"  
  
"Yup, he dashed to save her just before the ladder collapsed and it collapsed on his right shoulder instead."  
  
"You know what I'm thinking? We could get both of them together."  
  
"Are you kidding?"  
  
"No, I'm not. After all, he changed a bit since Kaoru came. Maybe he could return to the old Ken-san we knew with Kaoru's help."  
  
"I thought you like him."  
  
"Well, I did like him a bit, but I like someone else better."  
  
"Who is that?" Sano asked with eager curiosity.  
  
"I'm not going to tell you. So, you agree with my plan?"  
  
"All right, I agree. I think your idea is not that bad after all, but how do we start."  
  
"Well, let's plan a party at your house this weekend and invite them with the others."  
  
"Not bad idea. I would start telling them tomorrow."  
  
"Good."  
  
Sano stared outside. What Megumi was saying was right. Kaoru could help Kenshin changed back. There might be some hope after all.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"You don't need to go inside. I can manage it perfectly all by myself," Kenshin told Kaoru as they stopped in front of his house gate.  
  
"All right. Just don't do anything to hurt yourself, ok?" Kaoru said as she passed his bag to him.  
  
Kenshin nodded and was about to walk inside when Kaoru suddenly grabbed his left arm.  
  
"Uhmm, I don't have the chance yet to say this. Thank you for saving me. I felt really bad about it."  
  
"It's just a small thing. Don't feel bad about it."  
  
"Take care then."  
  
Kenshin nodded and started to walk back into his house. Kaoru sighed and began walking home.  
  
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"I'm home," Kenshin said to his uncle.  
  
"Well, welcome home my baka-deshi. What happened to your right shoulder?" asked Hiko as he noticed the bandage on his right shoulder.  
  
"Nothing. Just an accident during kendo practice," and he continued climbing up the stairs.  
  
Hiko sighed. He could never get anything in detail from his nephew. He had to ask that Kamiya girl tomorrow morning about the accident. She might have known something about it.  
  
To be continued  
  
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Hope you guys like the chapter. Please continue to R&R! 


	9. Am I Falling For Her?

Sorry for the error in previous chapter! It's suppose to be "your house" instead of "Sano's" since Megumi's talking to Sanosuke. I have replaced the chapter and corrected the mistake. Before I continue with the fic, I would like to thank these people:  
  
Namiko the anime wizard: Thank you for your review!  
  
beriath: Sorry for the rather cliffhanger, yeah I know I'm a bad writer when it comes to write long chapter. I would work hard on that! Thank you also for your review!  
  
mexican princess: Thank you so much for being such a loyal reviewer!  
  
Kakarlena Tsugoi: Hehe. sorry for that. I need it for the plot to continue. I'm also sorry if I sounded mean in the last chapter for your review (I don't mean to), but please don't flood, I mean don't repeat like that. Thank you for your review!  
  
Starry Night: Good guess! Oopps. I reveal a bit. Thank you for your review!  
  
vinmy002: Thank you for your review!  
  
Bunny Rabbit: LOL for your review ^_^, I agree with your opinions on pop ups. They're annoying! 500 pieces? That's a big amount! Thank you for your review!  
  
Blaze: Thanks!  
  
tiaravball15: You're right, Kenshin IS stubborn. Hehe.. ^_^ Big thanx for your review!  
  
Foxrocker: You did that? @_@ I'm flattered. Thank you so much for your review and for putting me on your favourite list!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own rurouni kenshin.  
  
Chapter 9: The Party  
  
The next day  
  
"Yo Jou-chan, Kenshin!" Sano approached both of them in their class before school started. Both of them turned to him.  
  
"How are you two? Anything since yesterday?" he grinned at both of them.  
  
Kenshin scowled. Kaoru blushed. Apparently, the rumour had spread fast. There were murmurs around the class and some death glares directed at Kaoru from her female classmates. Kaoru gulped. They had now regarded her as a very close rival.  
  
"Nothing happened, Sano! I just helped him brought his bag until we reached his house's gate. He walked in himself. Nothing happened. Stop being mean!" Kaoru told him, unaware that she had spoken it quite loud and the class had heard what she said. 'Uh-oh,' Kaoru thought. She earned more glaring and murmurs. Kenshin just ignored them and kept silent.  
  
"Just kidding, Jou-chan. By the way, there's going to be a party at my house this weekend. Are you guys coming?"  
  
"Today's Friday, right? That means tomorrow." Sano nodded.  
  
Kaoru considered for a while. "Count me in."  
  
Kenshin seemed to be in deep thought. He saw both Sano and Kaoru staring at him with pleading eyes. 'Don't tell me he's refusing. The plan will backfire if he does that,' Sano thought. He let out a big sigh of relief when he heard Kenshin said, "All right."  
  
"Good. The party starts in my house at 6. Kenshin, how is your right shoulder."  
  
"It's fine. I can still attend the party. I can't practice kendo though."  
  
"Good. You made me worried there yesterday."  
  
Kaoru began to feel guilty at Sano's words. She still hadn't forgiven herself for yesterday's incident. The bell rang. Their class had started.  
  
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"Kamiya-san, I need to speak with you," Hiko Seijuro announced to the class just as the class dismissed. Kaoru was confused. What did Hiko-sensei want with her? Fortunately, history class was the last period for the day. She did not need to worry of being late for the next class.  
  
Kenshin scowled when he heard that. He knew his shishou was going to ask her about yesterday's incident. He was sure Hiko would make comments about that during their dinner later. He walked out of the class and began walking home.  
  
"Hiko-sensei, what is it?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"I just want to know what happened yesterday. My baka-deshi refused to tell me."  
  
Kaoru gulped. 'Hoped he's not mad with me,' she thought.  
  
"Uhmm, yesterday during my spar against Sano, he knocked me to a ladder and it started to collapse on me. Kenshin saved me but his right shoulder was fractured because of that," Kaoru explained, looking a bit guilty.  
  
Hiko considered her words for a moment. He suddenly smirked. "So, he saved you?" he asked Kaoru with a certain amused expression on his face.  
  
Kaoru nodded, looking down, not daring to look at Hiko's face.  
  
"You don't need to feel guilty about that. It's not your fault. You're excused from the class."  
  
Kaoru bowed and left the class. Hiko was smirking all the way while thinking about Kaoru's explanation. It seems that Kaoru could indeed bring hope to them. "This should prove to be interesting," he said to himself, still smirking.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
'Hmm, still had three hours more to go. I better call Sano.' Kaoru thought. She began dialing Sano's numbers. Earlier on, Dr Genzai had told her that he needed to stay at his clinic until late at night because he needed to look after a patient. That would leave Yahiko alone at the house. She was worried something might happen to him if he was left alone. She decided to bring him along to the party.  
  
"Sano's here."  
  
"Sano? Kaoru here."  
  
"Jou-chan? The party was still three hours to go."  
  
"I know. I needed to ask you something."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, my uncle needed to work late in his clinic. I was wondering if I could bring my cousin to the party."  
  
"Sure you can. No problem."  
  
"Thanks a lot. See you at the party." She put down the phone. Yahiko appeared from the kitchen.  
  
"So, how is it going?"  
  
"You're allowed to the party."  
  
"Yes! Lots of food there! I could meet Kenshin again too!" Yahiko burst happily. "I still can't believe what happened to him though. Why should he save an ugly girl like you?"  
  
"Watch your mouth, you brat! Or else, you're grounded here and you're not going to the party tonight!"  
  
"You win," Yahiko snorted.  
  
"Make sure you behave. Don't you dare embarrass me in front of my friends or I will kick you out of the party."  
  
"Fine."  
  
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"Hey there Jou-chan!" Sano greeted Kaoru as she and Yahiko stepped into his house. All the others had arrived. They were sprawling on the sofa watching TV.  
  
"Where were you? You're late for fifteen minutes!" Sano asked her.  
  
"Sorry, Sano. My cousin was slowing me down," Kaoru explained. Yahiko appeared behind her with a huffed face.  
  
"Who say I was slow? You're the slowpoke," Yahiko said, earning a glare from Kaoru.  
  
"So, this is your cousin?" Sano asked Kaoru.  
  
"Yup. He's Yahiko Myoujin."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Yahiko-chan," Sano greeted him.  
  
"Don't call me CHAN!" Yahiko called out loud, upset at being called "chan" again. Kaoru giggled. "Serve you right!" she teased him.  
  
Both of them stopped arguing and started to approach Kaoru's friends. Misao was gripping on Aoshi's right arm, refusing to let go. Aoshi kept his stoic face impassive, however he did not seem to mind her company. Yumi was flirting with Shishio as usual. Soujiro sat beside Misao, forever smiling. Kenshin was sitting beside Soujiro, idly switching the channels with the remote on his hand.  
  
"Hey, Kaoru!" Misao cheerfully greeted her.  
  
"Good to see you Misao!" Kaoru replied, trying to hide her smirking as she watched Misao gripping Aoshi's right arm. She looked around and noticed that someone was missing.  
  
"Where's Megumi?"  
  
"She needed to work overtime to look after a patient," Sano explained.  
  
"Oh."  
  
After that, Sano began bringing the food out. The table was suddenly crowded as they began eating. Yahiko fought with Sano over the food, causing a mess all over the table. Kaoru rebuked him to behave since he was a guest here. Yahiko asked her to shut up and called her "busu" and Kaoru began to join the fight. Others began to laugh, except for Kenshin and Aoshi.  
  
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Kenshin's POV  
  
The dining scene was pretty amusing. It all started with Yahiko and Sano. They snatched all those foods on the table like there was no tomorrow. The table became really messy and it clearly spoiled our appetite. I was amazed at the kid's appetite though. None could rival him except Sano. They're the biggest eater I had ever seen.  
  
Kaoru started scolding Yahiko but he ignored her and even called her "busu". Kaoru lost her temper and joined the fight, spilling more food on the table. That kid sure had a lot of guts and luck, he could still survive until now. I wouldn't dare annoy her like that; God knows might happen if I tried. The scene was rather amusing though, I had never seen her lost her temper like that, and she looked cute when she's angry, but she could be intimidating at times. I was actually laughing silently inside, I'm sure Aoshi did but both of us did not show it.  
  
After finishing the food, all of us played poker for a while. Soujiro won a lot of times and he was grinning from ear to ear. Sano kept on losing and he almost went bankrupt. He swore continuously at Soujiro for taking away his money. The girls were rather offended by his choice of words though. Their face paled a little.  
  
Sano, Shishio and Aoshi played video games while the rest of us watched DVDs. Kaoru sat between Misao and me, while Soujiro sat with Yahiko. Both of them watched the movie intently, it seems that they were enjoying it. It was surprising me that Misao did not stick with Aoshi, I guess it was because the boys were playing some sort of horror game and Misao did not like that type of game. She preferred racing and fighting game. Yumi, not surprisingly, was just sitting beside Shishio, flirting with him.  
  
I felt a weight suddenly thrown on my lap. Glancing down, I saw Kaoru had fallen asleep on me. She looked like an angel while sleeping. I saw that Yahiko and Misao had fallen asleep too. Soujiro was the only one awake, and he was still watching the movie with full concentration. I looked back to the sleeping Kaoru. She was beautiful; her face was calm and serene. Without me realizing it, my hand had moved to her hair and I was stroking it gently, and so as not to wake her up.  
  
I continued to do the same thing and I was unaware that it was already late at night. Kaoru stirred in her sleep and her eyes opened slowly. When she realized the position she was in, she immediately rose up and she blushed. I had to admit that she looked cute that way. She glanced at the time and realised that it was already late. Others seemed to notice it too. Sano decided to break up the group and all of us said goodbye to one another.  
  
As I was walking home by myself, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about Kaoru. What made me think of her? I had known her for about only 2 months, and we're not that close. How come I'm feeling this way? And her sleeping face, she really looked beautiful in her sleep.  
  
Could it be?  
  
Could it be that I'm falling in love with her?  
  
To be continued  
  
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Sorry if the party scene was rather boring. I don't think the gang looked like the singing/dancing type after all and I'm lousy in writing this kind of thing. (I'm a real bad writer!) Is the plot going a bit too fast? I would update as soon as possible. Thank you for all your reviews! 


	10. Turning Point

Yay! I'm reaching above100 reviews! I've not expected to reach that many reviews for my first fanfic! A big thank you for those people who reviewed my previous chapter!  
  
beriath: I'm flattered by your comment. @_@ Thank you for your big encouragement! But seriously, there are many much better fanfic writers than me.  
  
vanilla bean: Thank you for your review!  
  
Nicky: Thank you for your review!  
  
Angie: Thank you for your review!  
  
can't-get-enough-anime: Thank you for your review! I think I'm not going t start pairing them yet, since they still haven't know each other very well. (Like just 3 weeks) You're one of my loyal reviewers!  
  
Yuhi: Thank you for your review!  
  
Starry Night: Thank you for your review! What the title means? I think I'm changing the title. (I already did) Well, it sounded rather weird and it actually has to do with the later chapters. Sorry if it rather confuses you.  
  
Kakarlena: Thank you for your review! You're also one of my loyal reviewers!  
  
darkfire: Thank you for review!  
  
chris: Thank you for your review!  
  
tiaravball15: I agree with you. I personally think it is kind of rushing even though a few other people told me it's fine. Therefore, I'm trying to slow down for the next few chapters (Anyway, they have only known each other for just like 3 weeks) Well, I just can't fit Megumi into the party (I'm stuck!), but the plan is still continuing, the party is just a start. I'll try my best to write longer. Good luck making you happy? It sounded funny to me. ^_^  
  
mexican princess: Thank you for your review! I don't mind if the review comes late. I think I'm updating every Saturday or Sunday since now I'm back to school. (Argh!)  
  
SilverLightning: Thank you for your review! Sorry, I'm just not good in giving ideas but if you want my help, I'll try my best. (Maybe e-mail me) I think your story is fine, maybe just a few spelling errors. A big thank you for putting me on your favourite list!  
  
LittoGrrlStephie: I'm flattered by your comment. @_@ Thank you for your review and for putting me on your fav list! I'm actually surprised that you're older than me by a year! (Tricked by you pen name! ^_^)  
  
Daughter of Magic: Thank you for your reviews!  
  
Sword Slayer Sayoko: Thank you for your review! Yes, I also think that my story lack humor, but I'm not good in writing it down. (Argggh, curse my lack of writing skills!) I will try my best to include them as much as possible though.  
  
Bunny Rabbit: Thank you for your reviews!  
  
aki: Thank you for your review! Good guess! I'm not sure when I'm going to mention about it, since I have not written the story down completely yet. Just a crazy idea that pops out in my head and I decided to write it down. It's just the plot that I have thought about it but the rest only came when I started a new chapter. That's probably why all the chapters are short. (Again, my lack of writing skills) Maybe it will come out in about 5 more chapters, but I can't guarantee it.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.  
  
Chapter 10 – Turning Point  
  
3 days later  
  
Kaoru was staring at nothingness in the class, barely paying any attention to the teacher. She was still thinking about the incident at the party. At that time, she was feeling really tired and had unconsciously fallen asleep on Kenshin's lap. She blushed whenever she thought about it. She glanced at Kenshin. He was copying notes as usual; it seemed that the incident had not affected him at all. Now, she was having a hard time to be around him, since his presence always reminds her about the incident.  
  
'Why he had not wakened me up when I fell asleep on his lap?' Kaoru mused. She thought that he preferred solitude. The strangest thing was that he stroked her hair. She felt it when she began waking up. He was stroking her hair very softly. That's what made her wake up immediately. She had never thought Kenshin could be gentle at times, his act was not normal for that day. Kaoru blushed again thinking about him stroking her hair. She pushed the thought away. That incident was driving her crazy. Come to think about it, Kenshin had been rather cold towards her this whole week. It was already the last period of the day and he was still ignoring her. She was rather furious; he should at least take some action and not giving her a cold shoulder like this. She decided to try to talk to him after school.  
  
If Kaoru thought Kenshin was not affected by the incident at all, she was definitely WRONG. In fact, he was having trouble sleeping, thinking about what he had done to her. He did not know what came over him that night to stroke her hair like that. He had to admit she looked beautiful like a peaceful angel when she was sleeping. Wait a minute; did he just mention her to be beautiful? He shook the thought out of his head. The incident was driving him crazy as well. He could not possibly be falling for her, right? RIGHT?  
  
He was definitely going crazy. He was thinking too much already. He was not paying attention to the teacher as well. He was actually scribbling nonsense on his notebook. That had what made him avoiding Kaoru for the last three days. He knew she was getting frustrated by him, she obviously wanted an answer and he had been avoiding her. He did not want to start having feelings for her. However, his thinking had been troubled for the past three days. He knew he had to talk to Kaoru or the matter would not be resolved but every time he saw her, his feelings for her started to get stronger. He did not want this to happen and he thought that avoiding her was the best way.  
  
During kendo practice, Kenshin tried his best to ignore Kaoru though not that successful. Kaoru kept on trying to approach him to talk, but he managed to avoid that by asking Soujiro or Aoshi to spar with him every time Kaoru tried to approach him. Kaoru walked away angrily cursing every time he did that. He sighed. He knew Kaoru was getting really impatient with him. She would definitely try to approach him after school. He guessed that he would just have to shrug her off again.  
  
However, little did he expect that someone else was waiting for him at his locker after school. It was Sano. He seemed to be angry. Kenshin wondered what could possibly make him angry. He approached Sano, unaware that Sano was about to tell him something that he never expected him to talk about.  
  
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Sano's POV  
  
I was glad that our plan worked out quite smoothly. The incident that happened during the party was unexpected to me but it meant that their plan succeeded. Megumi was really pleased with the way things turned out. I was really sure that it would bring them closer. I knew Kenshin had a liking for her, or else he would not have saved her while sacrificing himself like that. I sensed that he had not done it out of friendship but rather because of something more. And from the way Kaoru treated him, it seems that she had a liking for him too. They looked to be a perfect couple.  
  
However, it was unexpected on the way things turned out this whole week. Kenshin was avoiding Kaoru. This was definitely not going well. I was pissed at Kenshin. How could he just avoid her? He liked her and he should go for her. His action was confusing Kaoru. I definitely had to talk to him about it.  
  
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"What is it, Sano?"  
  
"Why are you doing that?" Sano asked impatiently.  
  
"Doing what?"  
  
"Don't try to be coy about it. Why are you avoiding Jou-chan?"  
  
Kenshin was rather surprised that Sano had actually asked him that. "I'm not avoiding her," he replied.  
  
"Oh, really? Then why is it that every time Jou-chan tried to talk to you, you ignored her or tried to find an excuse?"  
  
"It's none of your business, Sano!"  
  
"Of course it's my business. You're hurting her by doing like this. Why can't you just talk to her?"  
  
Kenshin went silent at his words.  
  
"I knew you like her Kenshin and you should go for her. Why should you be so stubborn about your past?"  
  
Sano realized his slip but it was too late. Kenshin's eyes turned amber and he stared at Sano angrily. Sano gulped. He had not meant to say that to him. No one should mess with Kenshin. Kenshin was really pissed right now. Sano prayed that nothing bad will happen to him.  
  
Kenshin suddenly walked off and Sano let out a sigh of relief. 'It looked like I'm making this thing worse. Hell, I'm not good in giving advice to people,' he thought sullenly.  
  
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Kenshin walked home from school, still angry with Sano's words. He was angry at him for messing with his life and he hated Sano's last sentence. Sano was making it worse now. He really felt guilty for confusing Kaoru now after Sano talked to him. His thinking was driving him insane.  
  
Kenshin saw somebody waiting for him a distance away. As he walked towards the person, he realized that it was Kaoru. 'Oh shit. Just now was Sano, and now Kaoru, the last person I hoped to see.' He saw Kaoru approaching him and started thinking how to get himself away from her.  
  
"Kenshin, why were you avoiding me?"  
  
'Oh shit, the dreaded question.' He just kept silent and started walking past her but Kaoru grabbed his left arm.  
  
"Stop ignoring me. Why were you doing this? I just want to know the answer!" Kaoru asked him, her temper flaring up. She was really pissed with him right now.  
  
"Fine." Kenshin stopped walking and faced Kaoru. "What you want to know about?"  
  
"It's about the incident at the party. Actually, I wanted to apologize for falling asleep on your lap."  
  
Kenshin kept silent, so Kaoru went on to continue. "Why didn't you wake me up?"  
  
"I don't want to disturb your sleep," he replied to her.  
  
Kaoru wanted to ask him why he was stroking her hair that night but decided not to. It was rather embarrassing for her. "So, now why were you avoiding me?"  
  
Kenshin did not know how to answer this question. 'Should I tell her about my feelings?' he thought.  
  
After a long pause, Kaoru pressed on, "Please, Kenshin. I just want an answer. You're confusing me like this! Why should you be so cold to other people? You should open up your feelings! I don't care about your past, I just want to help!"  
  
Kenshin stared at her wide-eyed. How did Kaoru know? Wait a minute, she must have heard about the conversation between him and Sano. She did not know about his past but she wanted to help him? He suddenly felt guilty. Kaoru was so full of innocence, always wanting to help people around her. Maybe he could trust her. Maybe she could really help him forget his past.  
  
Indeed, Kaoru had been hearing his conversation with Sano. She wanted to meet Kenshin at his locker but decided against it when she saw Sano beating her first. She was rather surprised at what Sano said to Kenshin. She had never expected Sano trying to help her like that. Kenshin liked her? She found it hard to believe. However, she had to admit that she liked him. He was gorgeous, why wouldn't any girl like him? She suddenly heard Sano shouting about Kenshin being stubborn about his past. She suddenly understood. Kenshin must have a bad past which turned him to be the way he was now, cold and emotionless.  
  
"It's because..." Kenshin started speaking. Kaoru looked at him intently, waiting for him to finish his words.  
  
"I think I have fallen for you." He finished.  
  
It was Kaoru's turn to stare. Kenshin did like her. It was confirmed.  
  
"However we barely knew each other," he continued. "I just did not want this to be a mistake."  
  
"We could be friends," Kaoru told him.  
  
Kenshin was surprised at her straightforwardness and stared at her hand.  
  
"Well, after all we had not been real friends right? I told you I did not care about your past. I just wanted to help you open up your feeling." She extended her hand in gesture of a friendship.  
  
Kenshin stared at her extended hand for a moment before extending his as well and they shook hands. Kenshin was glad that someone had finally accepted him without caring about his past. Kaoru was really different from someone else. He began to soften and his eyes turned violet. Kaoru was really surprised when his eyes turned violet. They were the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen.  
  
"I'm pleased to meet you, Kaoru Kamiya." Even his tone had become gentle. 'So, this was the real him,' Kaoru thought. She was glad that Kenshin had accepted her. He was finally allowing people into his barrier. It was a turning point for both of them.  
  
To be continued  
  
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Hoped you like the chapter. Thank you for all the reviewers! You all are a big encouragement to me! By the way, I had a pencil drawing of Kenshin. (Copied from manga) Would anyone like me to send it through e-mail? If you like, please tell me your e-mail. I just want to give something for all the reviewers! You all are really great! 


	11. The Day After

27 reviews for a chapter! That's the most I've ever gotten for a chapter! Thank you very much to all who have reviewed my previous chapter!  
  
SilverLightning – No, you didn't miss a thing, Kenshin is injured. However, I believe he is stronger than he looks so he could just do light sparring. Soujiro and Aoshi will not be too hard on him knowing his condition. Most importantly, he's just looking for an excuse to avoid Kaoru.  
  
mexican princess – You reviewed every chapter! I felt bad actually since I'm a lazy reviewer but others review my every chapter! Oh yeah, I'm still in school! I'm studying in Singapore and I'm in secondary 3, I think that's equivalent to grade 9. (I'm not really sure) I'm 16 by the way. I hope you like the pic! ^_^  
  
beriath – Thank you for your review! Hope you like the pic and thank you for your compliment on it!  
  
flyinangel777  
  
Starry Night – Glad you're no longer confused. Thanks for asking, I think the title really needs to be corrected, it's rather confusing. Thank you! Nope, it isn't a trouble for me to send the pic, just took a few minutes to accomplish that. Besides, I'm the one asking people whether they would like to be sent the pic. By the way, I have tried sending it to you several times but your e-mail is over your storage limits. Could you make some space so that I could send it to you?  
  
ChildlikeMoonTenchi – Good guess! I know it's rather an overused plot but I'm trying to make it different. Thank you for your review!  
  
Yuhi – That's a sad thing that I couldn't send you the pic. I agree with you, what could e-mail possibly do to affect your studies? It would only take a couple of minutes to check after all.  
  
Ryoko57 – LOL. That's rather sad you haven't seen the manga, coz I prefer the manga to the anime (but the anime is still great!) Hope you like the pic. "Forever in my debt?" LOL ^_^ Just a small thing. Don't worry about it. Besides you review my story and without reviewers, there would be no encouragement to write more. Thank you for your review! It' positive and very encouraging! Thank you for your compliment on the drawing too!  
  
Chris  
  
Kakarlena – I don't mind late reviews. I'm a lazy reviewer so I've got no right to criticize people. (I should criticize myself instead!) I will be updating at a rather slow rate as I'm still busy with school, so bear with me.  
  
Punky – Thanks for your encouragement but I just lack self-confidence honestly. That's just the way I am. Thank you for your review! Hope you like the pic!  
  
l3al3yanime – You change your nick? Well, I couldn't recognize you until I check your page.!  
  
Aki  
  
tiaravball15 – LOL I'm glad that you think the pace is alright now.  
  
Chiruken – Yay! You're back. You haven't reviewed for quite a while. You don't need to review every chapter if you don't want to. I agree with your opinion on the last review. Thank you very much for taking the time to review my every chapter! Hope you like the pic! Did he really say that? I'm flattered @_@ Anyway, I'm just good in copying and perhaps shading but when it comes to imagining and draw it out, I sucks! Well, thank you for your compliment on the drawing!  
  
Foxrocker – I'm flattered by your comment. Thanks! Hope you like the pic!  
  
Firstly, I'm very, very sorry for updating late. My internet connection had been down for almost one month. Besides, I'm having a rather major writer's block. I'm also still busy with my school life.  
  
For those receiving my pic, hope you like it. I'm not sure if I send it to all that asked for it. If you already asked me but have not received please notify me in your review. I'm quite surprised that quite a lot actually asked for it so I may have miss count and did not send it to some of you.  
  
I've said too much. Now, on to the story!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin (maybe only in my dreams)  
  
Chapter 11 – The Day After  
  
Kaoru's POV  
  
When Kenshin came to school the next day, everyone had the biggest shock of their life. It was like the world is coming to an end. Those were clearly written on everyone's faces. Well, maybe except me. He sat next to me as usual and gave me a smile. Now that surprised me. I sat there gaping at him. I was not really ready for such a major change. His eyes had remained steady violet since yesterday and his expression was definitely friendlier. It unnerved me. I'm not used to seeing him like this. At least I'm coping better than the others.  
  
The others stood gaping at us. I felt like taking out my bokken and whacked everybody's head. It's not what they think. Sure, I changed Kenshin back to he was but I'm not his girlfriend or anything. I'm just a friend. I felt cold stares at my back and some murmuring. Wiping the entire class population suddenly seemed like a good idea to me.  
  
Fortunately, the teacher had come into the class and everyone got back into their seats. What a relief. I bet that those people would still be staring at us until the end of the day if the teacher did not come. I could not really blame them. After all, I still couldn't believe it myself. The staring and the murmuring were unacceptable though.  
  
Kenshin still acted the same during the period. He still took down notes on his note book and paid attention fully to the teacher. I kept glancing to him. From a cold, expressionless man to a warm and smiling one is a drastic change to me. My mind was in a whirl. 'Calm yourself down, Kaoru,' I told myself repeatedly, 'You're the one who wanted the change, so accept it.'  
  
The ringing of the bell jolted me back from my deep thought. It was time for lunch break. I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, I could get out from those idiotic people. Did I just mention idiotic? My, I was starting to get insulting. Well, it seems that I can't control my temper well enough with their attitudes. Even as I was leaving the class, the people were still murmuring. "Would you believe that? She changed him back!" I heard a guy saying those rather loudly, seemingly to forget that I was still outside the classroom door. At least it was a confirmation that I had successfully changed Kenshin back into his normal self. Well, maybe not entirely.  
  
Lunch time was not coping well with me either. The first person I met in the canteen was Misao and she rushed to me with the same familiar disbelief look on her face.  
  
"Kaoru, is it true about the rumour? Himura is back to his normal self?"  
  
I nodded, not in the mood to talk about the subject. However Misao was persistent and she bombarded me with all sorts of questions even as we were queuing to buy the food. I answered all her questions rather curtly and I felt bad for her but at that moment I was not in the best mood. My tone started to get rougher with each question and Misao finally noticed my hesitance in talking about the so-called "rumour" and she immediately dropped the subject. We ate in silence for a while and I noticed Misao waving to the people coming from my back. I turned around to see a group of people coming towards me. Guess who they were.  
  
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Kenshin's POV  
  
I couldn't believe what I was doing. Before I knew it, I was shaking her hand. What shocked me the most that she succeeded in bringing my normal self back. It was even more surprising that she only knew me for about three weeks and she had achieved something that other people, even my friends, had not accomplished for a year. You would never expect a stranger bringing this significant change to you. Well, we had only known each other barely. She was still a mystery to me. She was a unique girl, I had to admit. She had an exceptionally strong ki, considering she was a woman. However, it was her characters that drew me. She was energetic, full of innocence, and was always cheerful. Her heart seemed to be open for everybody, even to a cold person like me. She did not mind about my past and told me that what matters the most was the present.  
  
I had to admit I was falling for her. She was beautiful, especially her sapphire eyes. They sparkled magnificently every time I looked at them. She seemed perfect for me, both on her appearance and characters. Well, maybe not exactly perfect. I had seen her temper during the party. Everyone had their own negative sides, so who cares? I would be able to deal with her hot temper anyway. At least I could run out from her sight before she could get her bokken. Being a master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu certainly had its advantage. Well thinking about these things all night was driving me crazy.  
  
When I went back to school the next day, everybody had a shock look written all over their faces. It was like an alien was standing right in front of them. I couldn't really blame them though. Seeing such a drastic change overnight was definitely unnerving, even to me. I still think of this as a dream. The gawking definitely confirmed that it was not.  
  
I saw Kaoru sitting at the usual place in class. I'm not sure how to face her after what had happened yesterday. I breathed deeply and mustered all my courage to walk up to her and gave her my smile that I had frequently used a long time ago. Now it was her turn to be surprised and she stood there staring at me like I'm Bigfoot or something. Her surprised look was worth a million. It was rare to see her with that kind of expression. I enjoyed her look, smiling inwardly in satisfaction. The others were certainly not happy though. There was a lot of murmuring in class.  
  
The teacher's arrival ruined my entertainment on enjoying Kaoru's shocked face. I bet she would remain gaping like that forever like a statue if the teacher had not come into the class. Throughout the day I just sat quietly and pay full attention in the class. Well, ALMOST full attention. Though I did take down some notes, I was actually still pondering on yesterday's incident and I was stealing glances at Kaoru. God, she was beautiful. I know there are a lot of guys who have been dying to ask her out and she had refused all of them politely. In the process, she had broken quite a few hearts. I think my turn would be coming soon as my urge of asking her out is getting stronger each day. I dared not to though as I feared that I would get turned down. It would be embarrassing but I had a hard time fighting this urge and I tried to avoid her as much as possible for the past few days. Well, it turned out that it had been unsuccessful. In fact, now things are becoming really unbelievable to me.  
  
Speaking of asking her out, I must say that I had actually been with her alone. Not exactly the case as she was the one asking for me to teach her and it was purely for studying, not for recreational purposes. Now that I think about it, I had been really lucky to have the chance to be alone with her considering that none of the other guys had gotten and instead, they got their hearts broken.  
  
The bell shook me out of my trance. I did not realize that time had passed so fast and it was already lunch break. I quickly rose from my seat and went to the canteen. I needed time to think over the matters and seeing Kaoru was not going to help me as she made me very nervous. I went to find Sano and saw him cutting queues to buy food. I was used to seeing him like this so it did not bother me. Sanosuke was never a good student and he never pretended to be. That was why I like him. He was honest and straightforward in voicing his opinions.  
  
Things were getting worse. Everybody was looking at me like I'm a supernatural being or something. That included Sano. He was rubbing his eyes as a mean to convince himself that it was just a dream. Well, too bad that it was not. He went over to me and looked at me with a look that tells me that he still did not believe what he saw in front of him. He stood there for about 2 minutes before he realised that we were attracting a lot of attention from the other students. He walked with me to find a table in embarrassment. He noticed something and began walking towards a table at the corner. Correction, it was someone. Kaoru was sitting there with Megumi and Yumi on one side while Aoshi and the rest on the other. All of them, except for Kaoru and Aoshi of course, had the familiar look on their faces that I was starting to get sick of. I let out a big sigh to no one in particular. This was going to be a long day for me.  
  
To be continued  
  
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Sorry if the ending of this chapter is rather bad. Seriously, I find it appropriate to stop here or else I would be rambling endlessly. Hope you guys still like the chapter! 


	12. Getting Back To The Old Days

16 reviews on the previous chapter...o_O Thank you for the positive responses. It means a lot to me, especially since this is my first fic. From now on, I think I'll just respond to some of the reviews, especially those involving questions, they just take up too many spaces :p  
  
Mara Roberts – This is my first attempt, sorry for all those grammar mistakes. I'm working on those fragmented sentences. I know about the repetition - it's a hard-to-kick habit. :p Literature is starting to bug me lol. Thank you so much for the constructive criticism...I'll try my best to improve :)  
  
Azura Dea – Still working to make the chapters longer...but always failed miserably *Sigh*  
  
Inuyashachic515 – It's a picture of Kenshin on manga volume 15. Sorry if you don't have the manga and you don't know what I'm referring to...  
  
evil chibi chibi – chan – Almost cant recognize you until the I saw the last few words...:P And here's the new chapter, sorry it took so long to update!  
  
Fawnlander Amethyst – Shuting! I can't believe you reviewed this fic! And I haven't submitted any for you...*guilty look* Is the fic really that great? I thought yours is better :p Thnx a lot for the review! And here's the new chapter, so stop bugging me :p  
  
Jyx – It is original? LOL...don't think so. There are always those solitude characters in many fics, mine is one of them. I'm not discontinuing this fic, but I have a MAJOR writer's block, hence the long update.  
  
I'm very sorry for the long update...*counting fingers* It's been about like 4 months since I posted the last chapter. I suddenly lost inspiration for my fic and had a HUGE writer's block. Top it up with school...*sigh*  
  
Fawnlander Amethyst is now my beta-reader. Thank you so much for volunteering to be one! :D Read her fics...they are great. :)  
  
Discaimer: Stated in the previous chapters – I do not own it.  
  
Chapter 12 – Getting Back To The Old Days  
  
The guys approached the girls and to their seats. Aoshi sat opposite of Misao and to his right was Soujiro and his left, Sano. Shishio took his seat beside Yumi while Kenshin sat opposite of Kaoru. Both were looking down and trying their best to avoid eye contact with each other. Others' attentions were entirely focused on them. It suddenly came to a stand still. Kaoru began fidgeting nervously.  
  
"Okay guys, let's just eat," Sano said, breaking the silence. Kaoru was thankful for the intervention. All began eating silently. Neither spoke for quite some time.  
  
"Hmmm, the rumour was true?" Soujiro asked mildly, his trademark smile still plastered on his face. He did not seem to be affected much by the rumour. Others looked intently at Kaoru and Kenshin, eagerness written on their faces, hoping for an answer. Kaoru gulped.  
  
"Partly true, but it was exaggerated," Kenshin answered. Others beside Kaoru gasped while she herself was trying her best to appear invisible.  
  
"Well done Jou-chan, you didn't disappoint us!" Sano smacked Kaoru's back. Hard. It made Kaoru sick and she almost threw up.  
  
"Sano! I just ate my food!" Kaoru scolded him.  
  
"He he, sorry Jou-chan, almost forgot," Sano grinned. He didn't make the wrong choice of counting on Kaoru. He knew she could do it and she did.  
  
All in all, it was an awkward situation. Kenshin smiled. "Guys, you're making her uncomfortable here."  
  
Sano, Misao and Megumi grinned. It was good to have Kenshin back. Things were progressing smoothly with Kaoru. She was an extraordinary girl indeed. Just for being in this school for a month, she had already made such a drastic impact, especially to a certain someone. Speaking of him, he seemed undisturbed by the whole situation. He was taking this rather well. Kaoru, on the other hand, was blushing furiously, earning herself more laughter from the gang.  
  
"Kaoru-san, you look so cute!" Soujiro teased her endlessly. The laughter became louder and louder. Kenshin was holding a hand over his mouth. He was trying his best to restrain his giggling, but Kaoru's reddened face was an amusing sight to him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and joined the laughter. It earned him some staring from the canteen population. Even his friends still found it weird. It was just hard accepting such a drastic change.  
  
'He was laughing!' Kaoru was fuming inside. 'He started all this confusion and now he had the nerve to laugh at me!' She gave him a death glare. Kenshin noticed it and restrain his laughter, though he was still laughing inside. Kaoru just looked so cute! He had never seen her so embarrassed before.  
  
Kaoru's violent tendency was growing inside her. She did not why, but seeing Kenshin laughing at her was infuriating her. He was supposed to help her and not put her into a worse situation like this. Finally, Kaoru couldn't take it anymore and leaned orward to smack him on the forehead.  
  
'Oro?' Kenshin's confused reply came out automatically. The gang froze and stared at them for a while, before erupting into another gale of laughter. The exchange was just so hilarious. Luckily for Kaoru, it was the normal Kenshin. You could never mess with a 'battousai' Kenshin, least of all smacked him.  
  
"You jerk! This happened because of you and now you're laughing at me!" Kaoru continued to whack Kenshin's head with her spoon while Kenshin shielded himself helplessly. The bell apparently saved him from further beating and the crowd began to disperse slowly from the canteen.  
  
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Kenshin chose a seat at the corner of the classroom, trying his best to avoid Kaoru. Kaoru was still fuming and she sent him an occasional you- better-watch-out glare every time the teacher turned his back from the class. Kenshin gulped. Kaoru frightened him to his death, even worse than his shishou. Nobody ever got mad at him like that. He made a resolution to avoid her after school, at least for today. She would need a day to calm her temper down.  
  
Unfortunately, that couldn't happen. There was kendo practice today and even though Kenshin was injured, he still had to attend to supervise the practice as he was the kendo captain. He was feeling glad for his injury for this moment. Kaoru was attacking Sano furiously, directing her temper at him. Kenshin shuddered. He had the skills to avoid Kaoru's attacks, but the sight of an angry Kaoru just made him nervous. If it had been him, he was not sure of the outcome. Poor Sano was retreating continuously, apparently afraid of facing Kaoru as well.  
  
'Women, they were so unpredictable.' Kenshin mused to himself.  
  
The practice ended and Sano was so relieved to see Kaoru lowering her bokken. She was smiling and Kenshin was glad to see it. It seems that her temper was gone and she was back to her cheerful state. Kaoru, Kenshin, Sano, Megumi and Misao agreed to walk home together. Halfway, Megumi parted with them to go to her clinic while Sano accompanied her. Kenshin also went separate way, leaving Kaoru and Misao alone.  
  
"So Kaoru, how come you never let your prince charming accompany you towards your house?" Misao asked slyly.  
  
"Misao," Kaoru growled threateningly.  
  
"Just joking, Kaoru. Geez, take that easy, you've been grumpy the whole day! You freaked me out during your spar with Sano!"  
  
"Well, you guys just bullied me in the canteen!"  
  
"You just looked so cute with your face red!" Misao teased playfully.  
  
"One more word Misao..." Kaoru hinted dangerously.  
  
"Alright, alright, I will drop the subject. Opss, we're reaching my house. See ya later Kaoru!" Misao waved to her and ran towards her house. Kaoru waved back and headed towards her home.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Give my homework back Yahiko!" Kaoru screamed at the top of her lungs, which an be heard throughout the entire house. Her uncle winced at the scream.  
  
"No way, tell me what happened during kendo practice today!" Yahiko shouted back while trying to doge Kaoru's grasps.  
  
"That was none of your business! Give it to me back now before I strangle you to death!" Kaoru glowered at him.  
  
"Ha! I would like to see you do that, busu!" Yahiko retorted.  
  
"Why, you spoiled brat!"  
  
"Busu!"  
  
"Brat!"  
  
"Ugly old hag!"  
  
"Kiddo!"  
  
The name-calling degenerated for some time and both of them sat on the floor, tired of shouting.  
  
"You brat, now look at what you have done! You have wasted me an hour of doing homework!" Kaoru chided him.  
  
"It's your fault for not telling me anything!" Yahiko hollered back.  
  
"What's there to tell? Kenshin's injured, he can't play, you dolt! I was sparring with Sano and gained the upper-hand!"  
  
"Liar, Sano could never lose to an ugly hag like you!"  
  
"Say that again, you kiddo!" Kaoru spent the whole evening chasing him around the house. By the time she got it back and finished her homework, it was already 12 midnight. Kaoru yawned and collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
The week went smoothly for Kaoru. She found things have turned out much better, now that the 'old Kenshin' had returned. It was like reverting back to the old days for her friends. Now they always joked during lunch and Kenshin laughed together with them. It was good to hear him laughing. It was a pleasant sound and it brought joy to Kaoru. The new side of him intrigued her. It was like the exact opposite of the Kenshin she knew on her first day. He was smiling almost all the time, which automatically reminded her of Soujiro and he was extremely polite. That gave him a problem though. The female classmates took advantage of this and started pushing him around. In the past, they avoided him, now they openly chased him. Kenshin was having a real hard time dealing with them.  
  
Kaoru's heart twanged with jealousy. Wait, jealousy? She was not at all! She was supposed to act like a friend! Well, she admitted she liked him, but she had to control this emotion. She was not really ready to face this feeling; this new personality of Kenshin that she had witnessed was still keeping her off balance. Outside, he was polite and friendly, but he was still unpredictable as always. Kaoru could never understand him completely. Somehow, there was still that barrier placed deep inside his heart. Kaoru had not managed to break it through completely. Kaoru sighed. It was not going to be as easy as she thought. This proved to be a formidable task.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Outside, it was raining heavily. Upon seeing it, Kenshin mood darkened. He hated rain; it always reminded him of that incident. It still flashed vividly inside his mind.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Tomoe! Please, no, don't leave me!"  
  
"I'm sorry Kenshin, it was the best for both of us!"  
  
"Tomoe!"  
  
He tried to shrug off those bad memories from his head and stared at the ceiling longingly. He sighed. It was going to be a long night for him; he would not be able to sleep at all.  
  
To be continued  
  
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The flashback scene was very clichéd isn't it? Rain and all the usual morbid stuffs blah blah blah... Sorry for my limited creativity. The next update may come in about 2 weeks, since I would be having a one week holiday for my term break starting from next Saturday. Reviewers are always welcomed! ^_^ 


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